Washington Examiner
Jack Smith was instrumental in the Justice Department's public integrity unit inserting itself into the Lois Lerner IRS scandal
November 25, 2022
Newly appointed special counsel Jack Smith was instrumental in the Justice Department's public integrity unit inserting itself into the Lois Lerner IRS scandal targeting conservative nonprofit groups.
By Jerry Dunleavy

Nov 25, 2022
Newly appointed special counsel Jack Smith was instrumental in the Justice Department's public integrity unit inserting itself into the Lois Lerner IRS scandal targeting conservative nonprofit groups.
Smith, picked by Attorney General Merrick Garland to helm the DOJ’s investigations of former President Donald Trump, led the Public Integrity Section from 2010 until early 2015.
Lerner, director of the IRS's Exempt Organizations Unit, led an IRS effort targeting Tea Party groups and similar conservative nonprofit organizations. Smith’s push for DOJ officials to contact Lerner and the IRS in order to get the DOJ involved seemed to be the impetus behind the IRS sending the FBI reams of nonprofit tax records.
An IRS watchdog and the DOJ later admitted the IRS committed wrongdoing, although not of the criminal variety. Lerner would apologize.
Republicans unsuccessfully sought a special counsel to investigate the IRS scandal at the time, with Smith’s actions cited as one reason.
“Jack Smith was looking for ways to prosecute the innocent Americans that Lois Lerner targeted during the IRS scandal,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), expected to lead the House Judiciary Committee next year, told the Washington Examiner.
Jordan and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), who led House Oversight, sought Smith’s testimony in May 2014, saying, “It is apparent that the Department’s leadership, including Public Integrity Section Chief Jack Smith, was closely involved in engaging with the IRS.”
Smith testified that month that he spoke with the FBI about these nonprofit groups.
“We had a dialogue with the FBI. Never opened any investigations, Public Integrity [Unit] did not. But we did have a dialogue with them over time following this [Oct. 8, 2010, meeting with Lerner].”
Smith considered “whether it made sense to open investigations” but said his unit “did not open any.”