Former Trump Prosecutor to Run for Congress in Virginia as Democrat

J.P. Cooney, a veteran of the public corruption division, plans to seek election to a newly drawn district in Northern and Central Virginia.

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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J.P. Cooney, a former top deputy to the special counsel Jack Smith who led two prosecutions of former President Trump, plans to announce on Wednesday that he is running for Congress in Virginia. Cooney, who was fired from the Justice Department after Trump purged prosecutors associated with Smith, is pitching himself as the only Democrat who actually prosecuted the former president.

Why it matters

Cooney's decision to run for Congress comes at a time when Smith has said he expects to be indicted by Trump officials acting on the president's orders. Cooney's work on two indictments of Trump makes him a unique target in a political race, as he seeks to push back against what he describes as the "democracy-threatening lawlessness" of the Trump administration.

The details

Cooney, a veteran of the public corruption division of the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, was fired in January 2025 after Trump purged all prosecutors associated with Smith. Cooney plans to run in the newly drawn Seventh Congressional District in Virginia, which does not currently have an incumbent. The district, described as a "lobster-shaped area" stretching from the Washington suburbs to the West Virginia border and the outskirts of Richmond, is expected to be more heavily Democratic-leaning under a proposed redistricting plan.

  • Cooney was fired from the Justice Department in January 2025.
  • Cooney plans to announce his congressional run on Wednesday, February 11, 2026.

The players

J.P. Cooney

A former top deputy to the special counsel Jack Smith, who led two prosecutions of former President Trump. Cooney is a veteran of the public corruption division of the U.S. attorney's office in Washington and plans to run for Congress in Virginia as a Democrat.

Jack Smith

The special prosecutor who twice indicted former President Trump. Cooney worked as Smith's deputy.

Donald J. Trump

The former president of the United States, who was twice indicted by the special counsel Jack Smith. Cooney prosecuted Trump while working as Smith's deputy.

Jim Jordan

The Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee, who deposed Cooney last year in his investigation of the special counsel's office.

Eugene Vindman

The current Democratic representative of the Seventh Congressional District in Virginia, which Cooney plans to seek.

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What they’re saying

“Never has there been a Congress that has been such a weak and ineffective check on a president's abuses of power. I lie awake every night worrying that Donald Trump does not have the best interests of our country in mind, and that's a seismic shift in American leadership and politics.”

— J.P. Cooney (New York Times)

“Jack Smith is being targeted not because of our politics, but because we've had the courage and principle to stand up and hold the most powerful man in the world accountable for grave crimes against the nation.”

— J.P. Cooney (New York Times)

“I've known J.P. for a long time and I think the world of him as a person and as a public servant. He's a man of integrity who has committed his career to upholding the rule of law, and he's the model of who our country needs in public service.”

— Jack Smith (New York Times)

What’s next

Cooney's congressional run will be closely watched, as he seeks to leverage his experience as a federal prosecutor who indicted the former president. The proposed redistricting plan in Virginia that would create the new Seventh Congressional District must still survive legal challenges and be approved in an April ballot referendum.

The takeaway

Cooney's decision to run for Congress as a Democrat who prosecuted Trump represents an effort to push back against what he sees as the former president's "democracy-threatening lawlessness." His candidacy comes at a time of heightened political tensions and ongoing legal battles surrounding Trump's actions while in office.