Trump rages on social media after 37-count indictment unsealed

by Brett Samuels - 06/09/23 3:59 PM ET

Former President Trump on Friday took to Truth Social to rage against a 49-page indictment that laid out in extensive detail the federal case against him over his handling of classified materials after leaving the White House.

In a series of social media posts, Trump railed against special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the investigation of the former president, and compared his own handling of classified materials with that of President Biden, despite distinct differences in the two cases.

Trump posted a photo of Smith on Truth Social along with a caption that described the career Justice Department official as a “deranged lunatic,” a “Trump Hater” and a “deranged ‘psycho.’”

In subsequent posts, Trump questioned why Biden was not similarly being targeted for his handling of classified materials.

“Biden moved his Boxes all over the place, including to Chinatown and up to his lawyer’s office in Boston,” Trump wrote. “Why isn’t deranged Jack Smith looking at that?”

A separate special counsel is investigating Biden’s handling of classified material after aides discovered sensitive documents from his time as vice president last winter in an old Washington, D.C., office and at his Wilmington, Del., home.

But Biden aides promptly notified the Justice Department to return the materials, while Trump is accused of repeatedly obstructing efforts by federal authorities to obtain the documents he’d taken with him upon leaving office.

More Trump indictment coverage from The Hill

Trump claimed on Truth Social that he “had nothing to hide, nor do I now.”

“Nobody said I wasn’t allowed to look at the personal records that I brought with me from the White House. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“There was no crime, except for what the DOJ and FBI have been doing against me for years,” Trump added.

The 37-count indictment unsealed Friday includes 31 counts under the Espionage Act. A breakdown of the documents Trump is accused of keeping alleges that they dealt with intelligence collected on foreign countries or American military capabilities.

The filing also alleges Trump weighed methods to avoid returning the documents, asking his attorney to “hide or destroy” those in his possession following a June subpoena last year. It also says he tried to obstruct the FBI and grand jury investigations and conceal his continued possession of classified documents by suggesting his attorney falsely represent to the FBI that he did not have the documents in question.

And the filing details two specific instances where Trump is alleged to have shared highly sensitive materials with individuals at his Bedminster, N.J., club who did not have security clearances.

Tags Jack Smith Joe Biden