The answer is both: Department of Justice (DOJ) Special Counsel Jack Smith is targeting former President Donald Trump and Trump has returned the favor - in fact, Trump may even be getting the upper hand.
Smith, of course, has targeted Trump by indicting him. The indictment stems from Trump's possession of classified materials.
The Washington Examiner reports:
Trump was charged with 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information, one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, one count of withholding a document or record, one count of corruptly concealing a document or record, one count of concealing a document in a federal investigation, one count for a scheme to conceal, and one count related to alleged false statements.
Altogether, Trump is facing a 400-year prison sentence, should he be found guilty and given the maximum penalty for each charge.
Trump will make his first court appearance on Tuesday, where he will plead "not guilty."
Trump maintains that he has done nothing wrong and that this is just the latest attempt by President Joe Biden and the Democrats to remove Trump from politics - particularly given the fact that Trump is Biden's top opponent for the presidency in 2024.
Thus far, Smith has only released a rather meager statement on the indictment, farcically claiming:
Violations of those laws put our country at risk. Adherence to the rule of law is a bedrock principle of the Department of Justice, and our nation’s commitment to the rule of law sets an example for the world. We have one set of laws in this country and they apply to everyone.
Smith quickly left the podium after his statement - which was less than three minutes long - not taking any questions from reporters. Trump, on the other hand, has not been hiding from anyone.
Trump has been targeting Smith ever since U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland named Smith as special counsel. Trump has repeatedly highlighted the fact that Smith has deep ties to the Democratic Party - that Smith worked in the Obama Administration and that Smith's wife has donated to Biden, among other Democrats, and produced a documentary for Michelle Obama.
Trump continued targeting Smith after the indictment. Trump, in fact, even went a step further than previously.
Trump wrote:
This is the man who caused the Lois Lerner catastrophe with the IRS. He went after Evangelicals and Great Americans of Faith. The United States had to apologize, and pay major damages for what this deranged lunatic did. He had a unanimous loss in the Supreme Court. His wife is a Trump Hater, just as he is a Trump Hater—a deranged ‘psycho’ that shouldn’t be involved in any case having to do with ‘Justice,’ other than to look at Biden as a criminal, which he is!
Trump continued this messaging in campaign events that he held in Georgia and North Carolina over the weekend, again referring to Smith as "deranged" and a "thug."
Referring to Smith's comments on the indictment, Trump said:
Deranged Jack Smith, and I watched him yesterday go up and talk. He talked for about two and a half minutes. He was shaking. He was so scared. He didn’t want to be there. Because ultimately, these are cowards. They’re cowards. And, he’s a big Trump hater, openly he’s a Trump hater. And, his wife is even more of a Trump hater. I wish her a lot of luck. But, he’s a bad Trump hater and she’s a Trump hater.
Whether Smith is going to take Trump down remains to be seen. Trump, however, has already taken Smith down several notches.
