Former US President Donald Trump’s response to the Department of Justice’s appointment of a special advisor to oversee its investigations into him was not long in coming, saying he would not “participate” in the investigations.
Trump indicated, in an interview with Fox News Digital, that the appointment of a special counsel is politically motivated, although Attorney General Merrick Garland said that his decision comes in an attempt to ensure independence over investigations related to Trump, according to “The Hill” website.
“I’ve been through this for six years – for six years I’ve been going through this, and I’m not going to have to have it anymore,” Trump said. And I hope Republicans have the courage to fight this.”
“I’m not going to take part in it,” Trump added. I will not participate in this.”
- Advertisement -
On Tuesday, the former president officially announced that he would launch another campaign to run for the 2024 presidential election.
“I’ve never heard of anything like that. They don’t find anything. Then they appoint a special prosecutor.” “They found nothing, and now they’re hiring someone who hates Trump. It’s a shame and it only happens because I’m ahead in every poll in both parties,” the report said.
US Attorney General Garland announced earlier Friday that Jack Smith, a longtime attorney general and current war crimes investigator, will lead two investigations, one into the mishandling of sensitive government records found at Mar-a-Lago, as well as aspects of the investigation. The investigation on January 6, 2021 covered “whether any person or entity had unlawfully interfered with the transfer of power.”
Garland directly cited Trump’s announcement to run against Biden as among the “extraordinary circumstances” justifying such an appointment.
Trump has claimed for years that the Justice Department is biased against him over various investigations into his conduct, dating back to his 2016 campaign and alleged coordination with Russia.
He has since expanded those allegations to include the FBI after agents searched his Florida property for classified government documents Trump took with him after leaving the White House.
And the White House announced that US President Joe Biden had not received prior notification of the appointment of the Department of Justice on Friday as an independent prosecutor to investigate his political rival, former President Donald Trump.
White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre said, “The president did not know, we did not know, and we did not receive advance notice” of Jack Smith’s appointment to handle two investigations related to the former US president.
The White House confirmed that the Biden administration will not politicize the judiciary.
At a press conference in Washington, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the appointment of Jack Smith, who until recently was the chief prosecutor in The Hague, to investigate war crimes in Kosovo.
Garland said that naming a special adviser is in the public interest, because both Republican Donald Trump and his Democratic successor, Joe Biden, have indicated their intention to run in 2024. However, only Trump has officially announced his candidacy at this stage.
Trump, who announced this week his intention to run for the presidential elections in 2024, is the target of several investigations by the Department of Justice.
He is under investigation for his role in the attack on the Capitol headquarters last year, his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 elections, and the concealment of confidential documents at his residence in Mar-a-Lago.
In addition, New York State Attorney General Letitia James filed a civil lawsuit against Trump and three of his children, accusing them of commercial fraud.
But his entry into the race for the White House on Tuesday makes his indictment a more sensitive issue.
