Former President Donald Trump has intensified his criticism of special counsel Jack Smith, who leads two significant federal criminal cases against Trump.
Trump recently stated that Smith should be removed from the United States.
“We should throw Jack Smith out with them, the mentally deranged people. Jack Smith should be considered mentally deranged, and he should be thrown out of the country,” Trump said on Thursday night during an interview on “Cats & Cosby,” a conservative radio talk show.
These remarks follow Trump’s earlier statements that he would promptly fire Smith if he regained the presidency.
During a Thursday morning conversation with conservative podcast host Hugh Hewitt, Trump was questioned about his priorities if he had to choose between firing Smith or pardoning himself upon re-entering the White House.
“Oh, it’s so easy. It’s so easy. … I would fire him within two seconds,” Trump declared.
Trump’s continual attacks on Smith underscore his determination to shut down the Justice Department’s investigations into his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election and mishandle classified documents.
Appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, Smith has been leading both high-profile investigations.
As a result of the election-related investigation, Trump faced a federal indictment in August 2023 on four criminal counts, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S., conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
While the classified documents case was previously dismissed, Smith is appealing that decision.
According to legal protocol, the power to hire or dismiss a special counsel resides with the attorney general.
However, if Trump secures a win in the upcoming election, he is expected to appoint an attorney general who would likely seek to dismiss both federal cases against him.
Trump has argued that firing Smith would be straightforward due to what he claims as “immunity at the Supreme Court,” referencing a July decision where the Supreme Court affirmed “absolute” immunity for official presidential acts but not for unofficial actions.
On Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign responded to Trump’s remarks, suggesting that his statements demonstrate a belief in his own immunity from legal repercussions.
This sentiment follows a recent interview where former Trump Chief of Staff John F. Kelly stated that Trump could be accurately described as a fascist—a view Harris shares.
“A second Trump term, where a more unstable and unhinged Trump has essentially no guardrails and is surrounded by loyalists who will enable his worst instincts, is guaranteed to be more dangerous,” asserted Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign. “America can’t risk a second Trump term.”
Smith and the Justice Department are not connected to two separate state criminal cases involving Trump.
One such case includes his conviction in Manhattan this spring over a hush money payment ahead of the 2016 election. Another active case is in Georgia, where Trump faces charges of election interference.
Throughout these legal proceedings, Trump has characterized investigations into his actions during the January 6 Capitol riot and classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago as a “witch hunt,” targeting prosecutors and judges.
His rhetoric toward perceived adversaries has only grown more aggressive, promising retribution if re-elected. Recently, Trump suggested that the military might be mobilized against Americans he labels as “the enemy from within.”
In June, Trump commented that prosecuting political opponents would generally be “wrong,” but also claimed he would have “every right” to retaliate against them if given the chance.
“Look, when this election is over, based on what they’ve done, I would have every right to go after them,” Trump said following his conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in New York.
Asked if he would “lock up” his opponents, Trump replied to Glenn Beck last year, “The answer is you have no choice, because they’re doing it to us.”
These statements continue to raise concerns among Harris’s campaign and Democrats, who view a second Trump term as more dangerous than the first.
In response, Democratic lawmakers, led by Rep. Adam Schiff, introduced legislation aimed at limiting a president’s ability to oversee investigations into themselves.
However, the bill faces little chance of progress in the GOP-majority House.
