In a final rebuke to the former president investigate and prosecute For more than two years, special counsel Jack Smith has personally accused Donald Trump of making “ridiculous” and baseless attacks on federal prosecutors who brought two criminal cases against him.
The harsh criticism of the president-elect was contained in a letter obtained by ABC News that Smith sent Attorney General Merrick Garland with his friends last week. final report details the election interference investigation into the former and future president.
Smith, in the letter, defended his conduct as perfectly legal, free from partisan influence and essential to the aims of the justice system.
“Although we were unable to bring the accused cases to trial, I believe our team stood up for the rule of law issues. I believe our team set an example for others to fight for justice regardless of personal costs. The facts, as we found in our investigation and as stated in my Report, matter,” Smith wrote.
Trump He pleaded not guilty In 2023, he pleaded guilty to 40 felony counts related to the handling of classified material after leaving the White House. extra charges of carrying out a “criminal scheme” to annul the results of the 2020 elections.
The two cases they were thrown After Trump’s re-election in November, a longstanding Justice Department policy barred the president from impeachment.
Smith, in his letter to Garland, said that his whole case was guided by the principle that the United States is “a government of laws, and not of men,” and that “there is no man in this country that is not so high above him.” law”.
In this Aug. 1, 2023, file photo, US Special Counsel Jack Smith speaks at a news conference in Washington, DC.
Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE
“As detailed in my Report, after extensive investigation, I found that both Mr. Trump’s efforts to illegally retain power and his illegal retention of classified documents after he lost the 2020 election after leaving office were compelled by the Principles. Indeed, Trump Mr. Smith’s cases “represented the most flagrant breach, the greatest public damage, and the most certain evidence,” Smith wrote.
Directly addressing Trump’s repeated accusations that his impeachment was politically motivated, Smith defended his team’s work and challenged Trump’s claims that his impeachment was partisan.
“Throughout my service as Special Counsel, seeking to influence the election in one way or another or interfere with the outcome played no part in our work. My Office had one north star: to follow the facts and the law where they led. Nothing more and nothing less. ” Smith wrote.
Smith also reiterated that the Justice Department’s decision to bring the cases against Trump was entirely his own, denying allegations that Trump’s decision to bring charges in the case was influenced by political influence.
“While I relied heavily on the advice, judgment and counsel of our team, I want to be clear that the ultimate decision to bring charges against Mr. Trump was mine. It is a decision that I fully stand behind,” Smith wrote.
In the letter, Smith acknowledged that his appointment in November 2022 — the same month Trump announced his presidential campaign — created a “highly unusual situation” in the executive branch led by President Joe Biden “undergoing criminal investigations into his recently declared challenger.” “. However, Smith insisted that the circumstances of his role had never affected his judgment or his “committed adherence to the rule of law”.
“It is equally important for me to make clear that no one at the Department of Justice has ever sought to interfere or improperly influence my prosecutorial decisions,” Smith wrote before directly addressing Trump’s repeated claims about his integrity.
Since Smith’s nomination, Trump has made baseless allegations that he was manipulated by political operatives, attacked Smith’s family and suggested that her case was “treasonous.”
“And for all who know me well, Mr. Trump’s claim that my decisions as prosecutor were influenced or directed by the Biden administration or other political actors is, in a word, ludicrous,” Smith wrote.
Smith fiercely defended the work of his team — who Trump has repeatedly attacked as partisan actors and “magazines” despite his history as a career prosecutor — as “people of high integrity and the highest personal integrity” who faced relentless threats to their safety. . they attack their character to do their job.
“They are very good people who did hard things well,” Smith wrote.
Days before Trump’s inauguration and the start of a Justice Department review, Smith said he fully supports his actions and described his behavior as rooted in the DOJ’s longstanding mandate, “power, politics, influence, status, wealth.” , fear and favor should not interfere with justice under the law.”
“Experienced prosecutors know that while you can’t control outcomes, you can do your job the right way for the right reasons,” he wrote. “I conclude our work confident that we have done so, and that we have fully fulfilled our obligations to the Department and to our people.”
