US Justice Dept taps independent prosecutor for Trump probes

The US Justice Department named a former war crimes investigator as a special counsel to oversee criminal probes into Donald Trump,  days after the former president announced a new White House run in 2024.

Trump -- who claims to be the target of a "witch hunt" -- slammed the dramatic move as "unfair" and "the worst politicisation of justice in our country."

The White House strongly denied any political interference, but the unprecedented special counsel investigation of a former president -- and current presidential candidate -- sets the stage for a drawn-out legal battle.

At a press conference, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the appointment of Jack Smith, until recently a chief prosecutor in The Hague charged with probing Kosovo war crimes, to take over the two ongoing federal probes into Trump.

One is focused on the former president's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by his supporters.

The other is an investigation into a cache of classified government documents seized in an FBI raid on Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida in August.

Garland said naming a special counsel was in the public interest because both the Republican Trump and his Democratic successor Joe Biden have stated their intention to run in 2024, although only Trump has officially declared for now.

"Appointing a special counsel at this time is the right thing to do," Garland said.