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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Martin Pengelly in New York

What is a special counsel and why will one investigate Donald Trump?

Donald Trump Merrick Garland Jack Smith Robert Mueller Joe Biden John Durham William Barr FBI White House

On Friday, when announcing the appointment of Jack Smith as special counsel overseeing investigations of Donald Trump’s alleged election subversion and retention of White House records, the US attorney general, Merrick Garland, said the selection would ensure “independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters”.

So why did Garland take this step against the former president?

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