Jack Smith took on Trump’s lies and laid out the timeline while concluding that Trump’s legal problems are his own making in a new court filing.
How Did Jack Smith Debunk Trump’s Lies?
Smith spent nearly one-third of a 68-page court filing debunking Trump’s lies about the classified documents case:
As the exhibits and an accurate timeline attest, the defendants’ narrative overlooks the fact that various federal agencies confronted and appropriately responded to an extraordinary situation resulting entirely from the defendants’ conduct. NARA first sought over a protracted period to retrieve documents from Trump’s PRA representatives, whose responses were dilatory, shifting, and incomplete. As NARA attempted to carry out its statutory responsibilities from 2021 into 2022, highly classified documents sat in a ballroom, bathroom, office space, and a basement storage room at a social club traversed by thousands of members, employees, and guests.
NARA rightly involved other government agencies that had equities and authorities that it did not, as necessary to navigate an unprecedented situation. The White House Counsel’s office became involved because of the need to consult its personnel about missing Trump Administration Presidential records. DOJ became involved because of the Attorney General’s authority to retrieve records through court action and later to assess whether a criminal inquiry was warranted—all well outside of NARA’s archival function. And the Intelligence Community became relevant once the alarming fact emerged that Trump’s boxes contained classified records that he had no authority to keep, let alone store in boxes at his residence. Where the defendants perceive “bias,” “weaponize[d] use of authorities, and a “sham referral,” all attributed to an undifferentiated “Biden Administration,” ECF No. 262 at 5-9, the record shows only different government agencies, with specific portfolios and responsibilities, at work to solve an increasingly vexing and concerning problem.
That is hardly surprising, and it in no way, shape, or form supports the defendants well know, that it is false. Rather, the fact that the two cases have overlapping witnesses has resulted in some degree of overlapping discovery production, out of an abundance of caution. But, in any event, the defendants’ mischaracterization has no bearing on the motion to
compel, since the Government has considered all of the prosecutors in the Special Counsel’s Office part of the prosecution team, as it has stated in its correspondence with defense counsel. See Exhibit 27. hyperbolic claim of “politically motivated operatives” launching a “crusade against President Trump.” Id. at 1.
The defendants’ legal problems are solely of their own making.
Jack Smith Sets The Record Straight
The Special Counsel set the record straight with a point-by-point debunking that pointed to the evidence that the classified documents case has nothing to do with the presidential election. Smith showed that the origins of the case go back to the end of the Trump administration and have nothing to do with Trump running for president. There were reports before Trump announced his candidate that the opposite was true. Trump is running for president because he thought that his candidacy would shield him from prosecution and potential conviction.
The Trump defense is based on an imaginary timeline, conspiracy theories, and lies.
Trump and his lawyers don’t have evidence of his innocence, but Jack Smith has overwhelming evidence that could prove the former president’s guilt.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association