President Trump Unloads On Special Counsel Jack Smith
The latest controversy involving President Donald Trump centers around an indictment over classified documents, with Special Counsel Jack Smith at the helm. Trump didn’t pull any punches on Smith, skewering him on Truth Social on Friday. “The United States had to apologize and pay major damages for what this deranged lunatic did,” Trump said, pointing to Smith’s less than stellar record involving the infamous Lois Lerner IRS scandal.
Appointed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Smith leads the investigation into Trump’s supposed mishandling of classified documents. These documents were unearthed at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. This indictment charges Trump with seven specific allegations, amounting to 37 counts in total.
Trump challenges Smith’s handling of the Lois Lerner IRS debacle, a scandal that left conservative nonprofits in the crosshairs. As the IRS’s Exempt Organizations Unit leader, Lerner spearheaded efforts to target Tea Party and similar conservative groups. A step that later drew an apology and an admission of wrongdoing from the IRS.
Given this history, it’s no surprise Trump and others find Smith’s role in the indictment questionable. Trump wrote, “This is the man who caused the Lois Lerner catastrophe with the IRS. He went after Evangelicals and Great Americans of Faith.”
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) echoed Trump’s sentiments, telling the Washington Examiner, “Jack Smith was looking for ways to prosecute the innocent Americans that Lois Lerner targeted during the IRS scandal.” Jordan’s comments bring Smith’s record of seemingly targeted investigations into focus, a reality that concerns conservative groups.
Smith’s involvement in the IRS scandal dates back to 2010 when he led the Public Integrity Section. His push for DOJ officials to contact Lerner to involve the DOJ was seemingly the catalyst for the IRS sending the FBI nonprofit tax records. Smith even testified about his dialogue with the FBI concerning these nonprofit groups.
Despite concerns expressed by his colleagues, Smith pushed to meet with IRS officials, raising eyebrows at his focus on conservative groups. The aftermath of his interactions with Lerner resulted in the IRS sending confidential taxpayer information to the FBI. This action later required an apology.
Notably, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced in 2017 that settlements were made with conservative groups wrongly targeted by the IRS during the Obama administration, further underscoring Smith’s questionable track record.
In his post, Trump called the Special Counsel and his wife “Trump haters.” “A deranged ‘psycho’ that shouldn’t be involved in any case having to do with ‘Justice,’” Trump commented, highlighting the widespread skepticism surrounding Smith’s role in his case.
Trump remains undeterred and continues to fight. His latest broadside against Smith underscores his ongoing battle against what he and the America First movement perceive as biased enforcement of justice.
