Trump's announcement Tuesday that is running for president for a third time created a conflict of interest and triggered the appointment of a special counsel,
In his appointment order, Garland says Smith "is authorized to conduct the ongoing investigation into whether any person
entity violated the law in connection with efforts to interfere with the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election
Smith is further instructed to conduct the investigation into national defense information found at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, according to the order,
"as well as any matters that arose or may arise directly" from that investigation.
"The Department of Justice has long recognized that in certain extraordinary cases.
It is in the public interest to appoint a special prosecutor to independently manage an investigation and prosecution based on recent