JP Cooney, who worked on the criminal prosecutions of President Donald Trump with former special counsel Jack Smith, has mounted a congressional bid in Virginia as a Democrat.

“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 in a Wednesday post on X.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) reacted to the announcement in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

“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. “The reality is he’s 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.”

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Cooney’s 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 praised Cooney in a statement reported by The New York Times.

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“I’ve 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. “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.”

Cooney aims to run in a district that does not actually exist yet, the Times noted, explaining that Virginia’s 7th Congressional District would be altered under a redistricting push by Democrats. The plan would need to surmount legal challenges and clear a ballot referendum. 

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“Never has there been a Congress that has been such a weak and ineffective check on a president’s abuses of power,” Cooney said, according to the Times. “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.”

A House Democratic lawmaker told Attorney General Pam Bondi that the “worst of the worst” targeted by the Trump administration are actually native-born Americans, not illegal immigrant criminals. 

Rep. Steve Cohen, of Tennessee, was speaking to Bondi during a combative congressional hearing over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein when he made his remarks. 

“We need people working on the front lines and local law enforcement to protect our citizens from the worst of the worst,” Cohen said. “The worst of the worst are not the immigrants. The worst are the worst, records show, are native-born Americans, and they are committing crimes that hurt our citizens and our cities.”

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“And you’re working against it,” he added. “And thank you for that, but by trying to get our local law enforcement, where we have an undercount of officers in Memphis, to leave Memphis and go to work for ICE to deport people is a wrong priority.”

The Trump administration has said that around 70% of the illegal immigrants targeted by federal immigration authorities have criminal records, including for violent offenses. 

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Many Democrats maintain that most illegal immigrants have not broken any laws aside from entering the United States illegally. 

Bondi argued that local and federal law enforcement both need “strong people.”

“I’ve seen some of the worst of the worst, violent criminals, violent criminals who were in this country illegally,” she said. “We both know that.”

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Cohen also told Bondi that ICE was “running rampant” and that Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were “executed” by federal authorities in Minneapolis as they allegedly impeded law enforcement operations. 

“They were executed like (Homeland Security Secretary) Krisit Noem executed her dog, and that was wrong,” Cohen said. “And you should investigate those people. And you should investigate anybody that uses a weapon as a federal official or not, for civil rights violations.”

A Georgia K-9 deputy was struck by a vehicle Wednesday while chasing a bank robbery suspect but got up, continued the pursuit and helped deputies take him into custody.

Fox 5 Atlanta reported that deputies with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office were notified of a possible bank robbery in progress at the Regions Bank in Newnan, Georgia. 

Authorities located the suspect’s vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver failed to yield, sparking a pursuit.

The chase ended when the suspect crashed and ran from the wrecked vehicle, officials said.

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The driver lost control, and the car became wedged between a light pole and a tree, according to the local station. 

Airbags were deployed, and the vehicle sustained heavy front-end damage, including blown-out wheels and damaged bumpers.

A K-9 handler then deployed his partner, Robbi, to track and apprehend the fleeing suspect.

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During the chase, Robbi was struck by a vehicle, but despite being hit, the K-9 continued the pursuit and helped deputies make an arrest.

Robbi was taken to Sweetwater Veterinary Hospital, where staff determined he suffered minor abrasions but no internal injuries. He is expected to make a full recovery.

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Fox 5 reported that authorities have not yet released the name of the man taken into custody or outlined the full range of charges he could face in connection with the reported bank robbery and ensuing chase.

The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital that the Newnan Police Department is leading the investigation.