JP Cooney, a veteran federal prosecutor who worked under former special counsel Jack Smith on criminal cases targeting President Donald Trump, is now seeking a seat in Congress as a Democrat in Virginia.
According to Fox News, Cooney announced his candidacy for Virginias 7th Congressional District in a post on X that cast himself as a casualty of the Trump-era Justice Department. I was fired by Donald Trump's Department of Justice because of my work to prosecute him. But I won't let Trump or anyone stop me from serving. I'm J.P. Cooney, and I'm running for Congress in Virginia's 7th District, he wrote, framing his dismissal as a badge of honor in a party that has long pursued legal and political battles against the 45th president.
Republicans swiftly condemned the move as yet another example of partisan lawfare being repackaged as public service. JP Cooney wants Virginians to believe that weaponizing the law to target President Trump and Republicans and launching sham, politically-motivated investigations that wasted millions of taxpayer dollars is a qualification for public office, RNC spokeswoman Emma Hall said in a statement, adding, The reality is hes just another radical Democrat whose only goal is to impeach President Trump and obstruct the America First agenda, even as it delivers historic results for Virginia.
Cooneys own rsum underscores his central role in the Trump prosecutions that many conservatives view as politically driven. His LinkedIn profile states, As Principal Deputy to Special Counsel Jack Smith, Cooney was a lead prosecutor in both criminal prosecutions of President Trump for obstruction of justice and conspiracy.
Smith, whose investigations have been widely criticized on the right as overreach, offered glowing praise for his former deputy in comments reported by The New York Times. Ive known J.P. for a long time and I think the world of him as a person and as a public servant, Smith noted, according to the outlet, adding, Hes a man of integrity who has committed his career to upholding the rule of law, and hes the model of who our country needs in public service.
Yet Cooney is currently running for a district that technically does not exist, as Democrats push a redistricting plan that would reshape Virginias 7th District to their advantage. The proposal still faces legal scrutiny and must survive a statewide ballot referendum before any new lines take effect.
Cooney has made clear that his campaign is rooted in opposition to President Trump and in a broader distrust of conservative leadership. Never has there been a Congress that has been such a weak and ineffective check on a presidents abuses of power, Cooney said, according to the Times, adding, I lie awake every night worrying that Donald Trump does not have the best interests of our country in mind, and thats a seismic shift in American leadership and politics.
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