FBI Delayed Trump Investigation

Top DOJ and FBI officials feared appearing partisan and blocked early proposals to investigate Trump and his allies for more than a year.

One full year after the January 6 Insurrection, only four prosecutors were assigned to investigate Trump. This long delay prevented agents from interviewing key witnesses and securing evidence such as email and phone records. Only after being publicly embarrassed by the House January 6 Committee and investigative journalists, did the DOJ leadership determine there was sufficient evidence to investigate Trump directly. Jack Smith was appointed as special counsel in November of 2022.