Former President Trump said Wednesday that the Justice Department has “completely and completely committed election interference” after key filings in special counsel Jack Smith's election case were released just weeks before Americans cast their votes. It did not follow its own rules that it upholds.”
Judge Tanya Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia unsealed Smith's 165-page application Wednesday afternoon. The filing describes his case and the evidence he says will be used in an eventual trial against Trump.
Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges brought against Mr. Smith.
Judge unseals special counsel Jack Smith's key filings in election case
But Trump criticized the Justice Department on Wednesday night.
“During the 60 days before the election, the Department of Justice must do nothing to taint or obstruct the case,” Trump wrote in all caps on his Truth social magazine. “They disobeyed their own rules in favor of complete and utter election interference.”
“I didn't do anything wrong, they did!” he continued.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Mint Hill, North Carolina, Wednesday, September 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The Justice Department's practice during election years is to often withhold major actions in cases that could affect the election for 60 days before Election Day, an implicit rule commonly referred to as the “60-day rule.” It is a policy. This “rule” is not really a rule, so it is actually more of a tradition, but it has been cited many times in recent years.
“This case, like all others, including the dismissed paper case, is a fraud!”
Mr. Trump was pointing to another lawsuit filed by Mr. Smith related to classified records. The case was dismissed by a federal judge in Florida, who ruled that Smith was illegally appointed as special prosecutor.
The former president went on to criticize Democrats, saying, “They know I'm winning, so they're weaponizing the Justice Department against me. They're rushing to field failed candidate Kamala Harris. ”
President Trump said the release of the Smith filing, which he called “the latest 'hit job,'” comes after Harris' running mate, Sen. J.D. He said it happened to “humiliate” his running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Trump said the Justice Department is “just an extension of Joe's and now Kamala's campaign.”
Trump trial stemming from Jack Smith investigation postponed past Election Day
“This is gross prosecutorial misconduct and should never have been made public so close to the election,” Trump said. “Democrats are turning America into a third world country where they seek to censor, harass, and intimidate their political opponents. What they have done to our justice system is one of the greatest tragedies in history. is.”
The former president added that Democrats “are guilty of the worst election interference in American history.”
“They want to destroy our democracy and allow millions of people to enter our country illegally. Determined to prevent them from becoming great. But they will fail, and we will! Save our country! ” Trump posted.
President Trump also accused Smith of being “crazy,” saying that Smith, the Harris-Biden Justice Department, and radical left-wing Democrats based in Washington, D.C., have “weaponized the Justice Department to cling to power.” I am serious about continuing.”
“'Trump' is leading in the polls and controlling the election cycle, and radical Democrats throughout the deep state are completely 'dismayed'. This entire lawsuit is a partisan, unconstitutional witch hunt. , it should be dismissed in its entirety, just like the Florida case was dismissed!'' Trump said.
The Department of Justice seal speaks during a press conference at the Justice Department's offices in Washington, May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
President Trump's comments were in response to a newly released filing by Smith, which alleges that he “committed crime to stay in office” after losing the 2020 presidential election. Ta.
“Defendants, along with private co-conspirators, engaged in increasingly desperate schemes to overturn the legitimate election results they had lost in seven states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. We launched one after the other,” Smith wrote.
“His efforts included lying to state officials to ignore the true vote count, fabricating fraudulent electoral votes in targeted states, and as Senate President Michael R. These include attempting to disrupt Congress by enlisting Vice President Pence to use the defendant's fraudulent electoral votes to certify the election on January 6, 2021, when all else failed. on Sunday, leading a mob of angry supporters to the U.S. Capitol to disrupt Congressional certification.
“The consistency of these efforts has been a deception,” Smith said, adding that Trump and his co-conspirators are denying the federal government's ability to collect and tabulate election results, as set out in the Constitution and election law. Alleges that he was involved in a conspiracy to disrupt the Counting Act (ECA); a conspiracy to obstruct the official process by which Congress certifies the legitimate results of a presidential election. and a conspiracy against the right of millions of Americans to vote and have their votes counted. ”
The Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the president is immune from prosecution for acts in his official capacity.
donald trump and jack smith (Getty Images)
President Trump indicted for second time in election subversion case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith
Mr. Smith was then asked to amend the charges and refile the charges against Mr. Trump to avoid the Supreme Court's ruling. The new indictment maintains the previous criminal charges, but narrows and restructures the charges against Trump following a high court ruling that granted broad immunity to the former president.
Trump also pleaded not guilty to all charges in the new indictment.
Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Chan told Fox News Digital: “The release of the unconstitutional J6 briefing, full of falsehoods, on the heels of Tim Walz's disastrous debate performance is a sign that America's democratic “This is another clear attempt by the Harris-Biden administration to undermine our principles and interfere in this election.”
“Deranged Jack Smith and the radical Democrats in Washington, D.C. are hell-bent on weaponizing the Justice Department to hang on to power,” Chan said. “President Trump is in the ascendancy, and radical Democrats throughout the deep state are dismayed.
“This entire incident is a partisan, unconstitutional witch hunt and should be dismissed in its entirety along with all the rest of the Democratic Party's fabrications.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Mr. Chutkan said last month that Mr. Trump's trial on charges stemming from Mr. Smith's January 6 investigation would not be held until after the 2024 presidential election. She set a deadline of Nov. 7, after Election Day, for responses and documents from federal prosecutors and Trump's legal team.
FOX News' Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
