Former President Donald Trump recently announced that he received a letter from Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith related to an investigation into the Capitol Hill protest on Jan. 6, 2021.
In a social media post on the matter, he indicated his belief that an arrest and indictment are forthcoming.
Smith, who also led a probe that resulted in Trump’s indictment on charges related to alleged mishandling of classified documents, has faced significant GOP criticism in light of the latest news.
In addition to Trump, who referred to the special counsel as “deranged,” other prominent Republicans interpreted the potential charges against the former president as a politically motivated attack.
Jack Smith is a lousy attorney.
His career is filled with mistrials, overturned cases, and judicial rebukes.
He only targets Republicans because he’s a weak little bitch for the Democrats.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) July 18, 2023
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) issued a statement confirming his intention to introduce a bill that would defund Smith’s “witch hunt” against the leading 2024 GOP presidential candidate.
“They are attacking our democracy and engaging in election interference right now,” he proclaimed. “The United States Congress has the capability to stop this election interference, and we must act immediately!”
Of course, he was realistic about such a proposal’s chances in the Democratic-led Senate or on President Joe Biden’s desk, but asserted that Americans “deserve to know where [their] members of Congress are counted.”
Legal scholars tend to agree that the letter described by Trump indicates that he will be indicted, marking the third time he will have faced criminal charges since announcing his bid for a second term in the White House.
“So now, Joe Biden’s Attorney General, Merrick Garland, who I turned down for the United States Supreme Court (in retrospect, based on his corrupt and unethical actions, a very wise decision!), together with Joe Biden’s Department of Injustice, have effectively issued a third indictment and arrest of Joe Biden’s NUMBER ONE POLITICAL OPPONENT, who is largely dominating him in the race for the Presidency,” Trump wrote in response to the latest development.
Asserting that such an act is unprecedented in American political history, he added in all capital letters: “This witch hunt is all about election interference and a complete and total political weaponization of law enforcement.”
Trump also hinted at a “probable fourth” indictment, referencing a probe in Atlanta, Georgia, based on claims that he pressured officials in that state to alter the 2020 election results.
