Former President Trump on Wednesday accused the Justice Department of “disobeying its own rules in favor of complete and utter election interference.” key filing The election case against special counsel Jack Smith was opened just weeks before Americans were scheduled to vote.
Judge Tanya Chutkan of the US District Court for the District of Columbia opened the seal. Smith’s 165 page filing Wednesday afternoon. The filing details his case and alleged evidence he wants to use in an eventual trial against Trump.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges brought by Smith.
Judge seals key filings in special counsel Jack Smith’s election case
But Trump attacked the Justice Department on Wednesday evening.
Trump posted in capital letters on his Truth Social, “60 days before the election, the Justice Department must do nothing that would impair or interfere with any case.” “He disregarded his 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 during a campaign event in Mint Hill, N.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024 (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Photo/Ivan Vucci)
The DOJ’s practice during election years has often been to halt major actions in matters that could affect elections during the 60 days before Election Day, an unwritten policy commonly known as the “60-day rule”. goes. The “rule”, which is really more of a tradition since it is not an actual rule, has been cited several times in recent years.
“This case is a scam like all the other cases, including the document case, which was dismissed!”
Trump was pointing to another case that Smith brought against him related to classified records. The case was dismissed by a federal judge in Florida, who ruled that Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel.
The former president criticized the Democrats, saying, “They are weaponizing the Justice Department against me because they know I’m winning, and they’re desperate to support their failed candidate, Kamala Harris.”
Trump said the unsealing of the Smith filing, which he called “the latest ‘hit job,'” came because his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, criticized Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, during Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate. Insulted”.
Trump said the Justice Department “has become nothing more than an extension of Joe and Kamala’s campaign.”
Trump’s lawsuit stemming from Jack Smith’s investigation was delayed last Election Day
“This is serious prosecutorial misconduct and should not have been released right before the election,” Trump said. “The Democrat Party is turning America into a third-world country that seeks to censor, harass, and intimidate its political opponents. What they have done to our justice system is one of the great, all-time, tragedies. ”
The former president said the Democrat Party was “guilty of the worst election interference in American history.”
“They are trying to destroy our democracy, allowing millions of people to enter our country illegally. They are keeping us from winning back the White House, sealing the border, and making America great again. Determined to stop them. But they will fail, and we will save our nation!” Trump posted.
Trump also called Smith “deranged” and said that he, “the Harris-Biden DOJ, and the Washington, D.C.-based radical left Democrats are bent on weaponizing the Justice Department in an effort to stay connected to power.”
“‘Trump’ is dominating the election cycle, leading in the polls, and radical Democrats throughout the Deep State are completely ‘panicked.’ This entire thing is a partisan, unconstitutional, witch hunt, which is completely Should be dismissed, just as the Florida case was dismissed!” Trump said.
Justice Department seals are seen during a news conference at the DOJ office in Washington on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Trump’s comments came in response to Smith’s newly-unsealed filing, in which he alleged that Trump “resorted to crimes to try to remain in office” after losing the 2020 presidential election.
Smith wrote, “Along with private co-conspirators, the defendant began a series of increasingly desperate schemes to overturn the legitimate election results in the seven states he lost – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.”
“His efforts included lying to state officials to induce them to ignore the correct vote count; manufacturing fraudulent electoral votes in targeted states; obstructing his role as President of the Senate. This included attempting to include Vice President Michael R. Pence. congressional certification of the election using the defendant’s fraudulent electoral votes; And when all else failed, on January 6, 2021, an angry mob of supporters was directed to the United States Capitol to disrupt congressional certification.”
Smith claims that “the entire process of these efforts was fraudulent,” claiming Trump and co-conspirators engaged in a conspiracy to interfere with the federal government’s function by which the nation collects and counts election results. , which is prescribed in the Constitution and elections. Enumeration Act (ECA); Conspiracy to obstruct the official proceedings in which Congress certifies the lawful results of a presidential election; And there is 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 official acts.
Donald Trump and Jack Smith (Getty Images)
Trump charged for second time in election sabotage case brought by special counsel Jack Smith
This required Smith to file another indictment against Trump, amending the charges in an effort to settle the case. Supreme Court Ruling. The new indictment retained the prior criminal charges, but limited the charges against Trump and was filed anew following a high court ruling that gave former presidents broad immunity.
Trump declared himself innocent of all charges new indictment Too.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital, “Releasing the lie-laden, unconstitutional J6 brief so soon after Tim Walz’s disastrous debate performance is an attempt by the Harris-Biden regime to undermine American democracy and interfere in this election. Another clear attempt by.”
“The deranged Jack Smith and the Washington, D.C., radical Democrats are hell-bent on weaponizing the Justice Department in an effort to cling to power,” Cheung said. “President Trump is taking over, and radical Democrats throughout the Deep State are panicking.
“This entire matter is a partisan, unconstitutional witch hunt that should be completely rejected along with all the remaining Democrat frauds.”
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Last month, Chutkan said she would not prosecute Trump until after the 2024 presidential election on charges stemming from Smith’s January 6 investigation. They set a deadline of Nov. 7, after Election Day, for responses and paperwork from federal prosecutors and Trump’s legal team.
Fox News’ Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
