By The American Tribune | Created at 2026-10-06 10:26:18 | Updated at 2026-10-06 11:51:54
1 hour ago
Former special counsel Jack Smith wore an anti-Trump “No Kings” shirt to a far-Left music festival just days after defending his prosecutions of President Donald Trump as independent of politics. His appearance drew criticism over the impartiality he has repeatedly claimed. Photographs showed Smith posing with attendees at an event headlined by outspoken Trump critic Bruce Springsteen. Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl also dedicated a song to the former prosecutor.
Smith attended the Power to the People festival on Saturday, October 3rd, at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Organized by Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, the gathering combined musical performances with overtly Left-wing political activism ahead of the midterm elections. The appearance came four days after Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about his investigations and allegations that Republicans had been improperly targeted.
At the September 29th hearing, Smith said he had no partisan loyalty and would have brought the same charges against a Democrat under the same circumstances. He had also dismissed claims that politics shaped his cases as “ludicrous” during an October 2025 event. Those statements became a focus of criticism after photographs emerged of him wearing merchandise carrying a political slogan associated with protests against the president he prosecuted.
Radio host Andrew Wilkow mocked Smith’s claims of neutrality in an October 4th post sharing a photograph of the shirt. As Trending Politics reported, Wilkow sarcastically described Smith as “politically neutral, unbiased and totally not corrupt” and called the gathering a “hypocritical commie fest.” His criticism focused on the former prosecutor’s decision to wear the anti-Trump message himself while attending the explicitly political event.
The black shirt identified Springsteen and the E Street Band’s Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour and carried the words “No Kings.” Breitbart reported that Smith was photographed with another attendee whose shirt appeared to feature an Indiana Jones quote about Nazis. Videos and photographs also showed Smith holding a beer, talking with people in the crowd and posing for selfies.
Smith received recognition from the stage when Grohl dedicated the Foo Fighters’ “My Hero” to “my new friend Jack.” Grohl also referenced Senator Eric Schmitt’s questioning of Smith at the recent hearing. The dedication placed the prosecutor who had pursued Trump at the center of a public acknowledgment during a festival featuring musicians opposed to the president.
The festival’s political message included direct attacks on Trump and his administration. Breitbart reported that performer Grandson sang a song with the refrain “My president’s a felon,” then later introduced actors portraying Trump and Jeffrey Epstein connected by a leash. Springsteen opened his set with “Streets of Minneapolis,” his protest song about fatal encounters involving federal immigration agents, and criticized the administration’s immigration enforcement operations.
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Watch Jack Smith walk around in the No Kings shirt publicly here:
Jack Smith spotted at an outdoor festival wearing a “No Kings” t-shirt. This is the guy we’re expected to believe was applying the law fairly? He’s a communist hack who belongs in prison. We cannot let Democrats take back power.
— Wall Street Mav (@WallStreetMav) October 4, 2026
The scrutiny surrounding Smith had already produced a formal complaint before his festival appearance. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), announced on September 30th that he had filed a bar complaint accusing Smith of misconduct in obtaining congressional phone records. Hagerty alleged that Smith failed to disclose relevant constitutional protections to the court and obtained a nondisclosure order that prevented the senator from learning about and challenging the subpoena.
Hagerty’s complaint sought an investigation and disbarment. The senator argued that Smith’s handling of the records had deprived lawmakers of an opportunity to defend their legislative privileges. In announcing the complaint on X, Hagerty wrote: “He’s a blatantly partisan actor and his prosecutorial misconduct damaged our constitutional order. He should never be able to practice law again.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.
