Former President Donald Trump continued his attacks on special counsel Jack Smith on Saturday, including a reference to Smith’s family, at a rally in Claremont, New Hampshire.
The former president repeated his accusations that Smith is “deranged” and a “Trump-hating prosecutor,” continuing, “his wife and family despise me much more than he does.”
Smith is overseeing two federal cases against Trump, related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents and his role in attempting to overturn the 2020 election.
The former president’s comments come at a time when his public statements about the criminal cases against him are being closely watched by prosecutors and courts alike. As a criminal defendant, he is barred from attempting to intimidate witnesses or others in the legal system, and a federal appellate court is considering whether a gag order placed upon him is constitutionally sound.
The court paused the gag order, related to Trump’s federal election subversion case in Washington, DC, while it is being appealed. But it previously barred Trump from commenting specifically about Smith, other prosecutors on the case, their families and court personnel, with possible sanctions or even jail as potential consequences if he had violated it.
Referring to the alleged ill will Smith and his family have for Trump, the former president said at Saturday’s rally that Smith is “about at 10” and his family is “about a 15 on a scale of 10.”
Trump railed against Smith’s prosecution history, calling him a “disgrace to America.”
“There’s always intimidation of everybody at the highest level,” Trump told the crowd, referring to Smith’s investigation. “But I really don’t care. I don’t care. I just want to do what’s right for the country.”
Some of Trump’s attacks stem from the activities of Smith’s wife, filmmaker Katy Chevigny. Chevigny donated $2,000 to the Biden campaign in 2020 and was a producer for a Netflix documentary about former first lady Michelle Obama.
Smith himself is a registered independent and hasn’t donated to Democratic campaigns.
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing Trump’s federal election subversion case in Washington, DC, issued a gag order against Trump last month after prosecutors raised concerns that the former president could intimidate witnesses or encourage harm against prosecutors through his public comments. Trump quickly appealed and sought to have the gag order paused while the appeal unfolded.
In a brief order, a three-judge panel at the US DC Circuit Court of Appeals said it was pausing the gag order issued by Chutkan to give the judges more time to consider Trump’s request to pause the order while his appeal of it plays out before the court.
A federal appeals court later temporarily froze the limited gag order, allowing him to again speak freely with criticism of possible witnesses in the case.
The appeals court is set to hear arguments on the gag order before Thanksgiving.
CNN’s Devan Cole, Marshall Cohen and Daniel Dale contributed to this report.
EmmaLouLove on November 12nd, 2023 at 04:45 UTC »
Trump is a traitor and a mobster who incites violence.
We are at a dangerous point in history. How he is not already in jail I will never understand.
The violence Trump incited on January 6, the daily attacks that come out of his mouth, have been normalized by the Republican Party.
His threats barely get a passing nod. To his adoring fans, they clap louder and laugh at every attack. A full one-third of Republicans say that violence may be the answer.
Trump is a dangerous thug. And yet he is still the Republican’s guy. This is the Republican Party. For anyone who checks the R box, they know exactly what they’re voting for.
WysiwygBB on November 12nd, 2023 at 03:03 UTC »
Sometimes I think that when trump finally gets one of the judges or prosecutors killed, that will be enough to wake people up. Then I think about the election denier and QAnon supporter who bludgeoned Speaker Pelosi's husband with a hammer, and remember that when trump joked about the attack, his audience laughed.
fairoaks2 on November 12nd, 2023 at 02:32 UTC »
Trump calling to his minions. Fentanyl mailed to election offices, threats made against family members. Trump gets Secret Service protection while his followers listen and act on his venom filled lies.