JUST IN: Former Virginia Governor Blasts Jack Smith, Says He’d ‘Rather Win Than Get It Right’

Bob McDonnell, the former Republican governor of Virginia from 2010 to 2014, blasted Jack Smith, the Special Counsel investigating and charging former president Donald Trump as a person who would “rather win than get it [the law] right” according to Just the News. Former governor McDonnell is no stranger to Mr. Smith as Smith previously indicted him over bribery charges. Smith managed to secure a conviction of the former governor on these charges only to have the verdict overturned by an unanimous 8-0 vote by the United States Supreme Court that clearly cut across partisan lines in 2016.

The decision by the Supreme Court found that Jack Smith had indeed misapplied the law and had done so in an unbounded way as to make arranging meetings or hosting events as being illegal official acts of corruption.

“[O]ur concern is…with the broader legal implications of the Government’s boundless interpretation of the federal bribery statute. A more limited interpretation of the term “official act” leaves ample room for prosecuting corruption, while comporting with the text of the statute and the precedent of this Court. The judgment of the Court of Appeals is vacated, and the case is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion” wrote the Court.

The Virginia ex-governor also called Jack Smith an “overzealous” prosecutor. “I think he doesn’t do an honest look at the law to see if the facts apply to the law…He would rather win than get it right. I think maybe that’s some of the influence we see now in some of the decisions he’s making in the current cases,” stated McDonnell.

He added that in his own case, both he and his attorneys understood from the start that Mr. Smith was misapplying the law and that his charges were “completely wrong” despite the Justice Department deciding to continue with his prosecution.

A potential reason why Smith was so adamant in prosecuting McDonnell was because the governor had presidential ambitions and he was forced to fend “off indictments” by Smith that derailed his potential run for the White House in 2016. As U.S. News admitted, “[i]t may well be that he [McDonnell] escapes prosecution, but however the legal battle is resolved, his ethics remain trashed.”

As Just the News additionally observed, Smith’s record is also flawed regarding charges against then North Carolina Senator John Edwards (D) over an alleged campaign finance violation and against New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez (D) over bribery allegations. Smith lost both cases due to mistrials.