Trump rails against special counsel Jack Smith in Christmas Eve posts

Former President Trump railed against special counsel Jack Smith again in Christmas Eve posts on his Truth Social account. 

Trump claimed in one Truth Social post that he is “fully entitled” to total presidential immunity from the charges he is facing in the federal election interference case that Smith brought and repeated his allegation without evidence that Smith is serving President Biden’s wishes in prosecuting him. 

The former president said Biden would be prosecuted without presidential immunity for the way he handled the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and his handling of the U.S. southern border.

Trump said in another post that Smith is one of Biden’s “misfits and thugs” who are going after him “at levels of persecution never seen before in our country.” 

“It’s called election interference. Merry Christmas!” Trump said. 

Trump is facing more than 90 felony counts from four separate criminal trials covering alleged conduct including his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and his retention of classified and sensitive documents. 

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and alleged that they are politically motivated because he is the front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination. 

Trump’s legal team has been arguing that he should be completely immune from prosecution in Smith’s case against him because the conduct mentioned in the indictment were actions he took while in office. Judge Tanya Chutkan, who has been overseeing proceedings of the case, rejected the argument, but Trump has appealed to the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals. 

Smith requested that the Supreme Court issue a ruling on the argument to skip over the appeals court and help ensure the trial can start as scheduled for March, but the court declined to rule for now. The appeals court is set to hold a hearing on the argument next month. 

Trump has repeatedly claimed the charges against him are politically motivated and that Smith is acting on Biden’s instructions in pursuing charges against him. 

Biden and Smith have emphasized the independence of the Justice Department to make its own decisions without any political influence.