Trump-Fueled Attacks Test Prosecutors Pursuing Elected Officials

Federal prosecutors in Washington are juggling a number of corruption cases against elected officials during a campaign season marked by singularly aggressive criticism of prosecutors and the rule of law.

House Republicans have been relentless in their accusations that the Justice Department has been “weaponized.” Their presumptive presidential nominee, Donald Trump, repeatedly disparages Special Counsel Jack Smith, whose two criminal prosecutions of Trump and an unrelated New York felony conviction are all getting linked by his supporters to vilify career prosecutors’ motives.

Less noticed is how this climate influences an office Smith used to lead, the Public Integrity Section, as ...