Former President Donald Trump says he has done “nothing wrong” and will refuse any involvement in a newly announced special counsel’s criminal investigations.
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday named veteran Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutor Jack Smith as special counsel to oversee two criminal investigations of the former president. The probes focus on Trump’s post-presidency possession of classified documents and on his activities regarding the January 6 insurrection.
In comments to Fox News Digital, the former president claimed that the appointment was made in reaction to his 2024 presidential campaign announcement and insisted that he would not cooperate with what he called “the worst politicization of justice in our country.”
“I have been going through this for six years—for six years I have been going through this, and I am not going to go through it anymore,” Trump said. “It is not acceptable. It is so unfair. It is so political … I am not going to partake in it.”
Trump argued that he was being unfairly targeted in the classified-documents probe, falsely claiming that “every other president took records, and they didn’t do anything about it.” He also argued that he “did nothing wrong” regarding January 6, suggesting that the Capitol rioters were protesting “peacefully and patriotically.”
The former president described Smith as “some guy who hates Trump” and argued that the appointment was made because he is “leading in every poll in both parties.” In reality, most recent polls show Trump trailing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for the 2024 GOP nomination.
“I’m not going to partake in this,” Trump continued. “It is not even believable that they’re allowed to do this.”
The investigation will not require Trump’s participation to move forward. Laurence Tribe, a Harvard University professor emeritus in constitutional law, told Newsweek that Trump’s refusal to “partake” might be the former president’s most ridiculous statement.
“Of all the ludicrous things that the former narcissist in chief has ever said, the suggestion that his ‘partaking’ in an investigation about charging him with grave crimes against the nation is a voluntary matter surely tops the list!” Tribe said.
“Just imagine his response to an indictment when he is asked whether he will plead guilty or innocent,” he added. “‘Not partaking, your honor’ is not one of the options.”
Trump also weighed in on the special counsel investigation in a Truth Social post. The former president lashed out at the House January 6 committee, claimed that the DOJ is full of “Trump haters” and called Smith’s appointment “disgraceful.”
“Here we go again!” wrote Trump. “The Democrat Department of ‘Justice’ had nothing, except Trump haters, so they just appointed a Special Prosecutor to go after me further. Disgraceful!”
Newsweek has reached out to the DOJ for comment.
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