Trump alleges special counsel Jack Smith and his family harbor profound animosity towards him
Former President Trump intensifies his criticism of special counsel Jack Smith, even mentioning Smith's family, during a rally in Claremont, New Hampshire
At a rally in Claremont, New Hampshire, Former President Donald Trump intensified his criticism of special counsel Jack Smith on Saturday. He labeled Smith as "deranged" and a "prosecutor who harbors animosity towards Trump," further alleging that Smith's wife and family hold an even greater disdain for him than Smith himself.
Smith is currently supervising two federal cases accusing Trump of mishandling classified documents and conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. In view of the perceived hostility that Smith and his family harbor towards Trump, the former president claimed that Smith rates at "about a 10" while his family scores "about a 15 on a scale of 10."
Donald Trump, the former President of the United States and Republican presidential candidate, was seen at Trendsetter Engineering Inc. in Houston, Texas on November 2, 2023. This visit marked his second appearance in Texas this year. The timing of his visit coincided with his sons, Don Jr. and Eric, testifying in his civil fraud trial in New York. Following a judge's ruling that Trump had committed fraud during the expansion of his real estate empire, he may be required to sell off his properties. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
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Trumps criticisms of Smith partly arise from the actions of his spouse, filmmaker Katy Chevigny. Chevigny contributed $2,000 to the Biden campaign in 2020 and served as a producer for a Netflix documentary highlighting former first lady Michelle Obama.
In contrast, Smith identifies as a registered independent and has not made any contributions to Democratic campaigns.
"Intimidation is a constant factor at the highest level, but it holds no significance to me. My sole focus is on making decisions that benefit our country," Trump addressed the gathering.
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan, responsible for presiding over Trump's federal election subversion case in Washington, DC, implemented a gag order against him last month. This decision came as prosecutors expressed concerns that the former president's public statements could intimidate witnesses or incite harm against prosecutors. Trump promptly filed an appeal, requesting a temporary halt to the gag order while the appeal is in progress.
The limited gag order was temporarily frozen by a federal appeals court, granting him the ability to freely express his criticism of potential witnesses in the case.
In a concise decision, a three-judge panel at the US DC Circuit Court of Appeals announced the suspension of the gag order imposed by Chutkan. This pause allows the judges to further deliberate on Trump's request to temporarily halt the order while his appeal is being reviewed by the court.
CNNs Devan Cole, Katelyn Polantz, Marshall Cohen and Daniel Dale contributed to this report.
