Trump: Jack Smith going before ‘judge of his dreams’
Former President Trump claimed on Monday that special counsel Jack Smith was going before the “judge of his dreams” in U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the case linked to Trump's efforts to hold power after the 2020 election.
Trump has repeatedly attacked the site of the case in Washington, D.C., and Chutkan since his indictment, arguing he cannot get a fair trial in such a setting.
“Deranged Jack Smith is going before his number one draft pick, the Judge of his “dreams” (WHO MUST BE RECUSED!), in an attempt to take away my FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“This, despite the fact that he, the DOJ, and his many Thug prosecutors, are illegally leaking, everything and anything, to the Fake News Media!!!” Trump continued.
The latest messages are part of a wave from Trump, the leading contender for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, that have gone after Chutkan.
The judge, an appointee of former President Obama's, was randomly assigned the case in D.C. A Trump appointee is presiding over a separate case on Trump's handling of classified documents in Florida.
The case that Chukan is presiding over in D.C. is also related to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, which took place just blocks from the courthouse.
Voters in Washington, D.C., overwhelmingly voted for President Biden in the 2020 election, another fact highlighted by Trump and his allies.
Trump was charged with four criminal counts related to his attempts to cling to power after he lost the 2020 election. He pleaded guilty to all four charges at an arraignment last week.
Chutkan, who was confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate, has developed a reputation for handing out tough sentencings in cases related to Jan. 6.
She ruled in favor of the Jan. 6 Select Committee investigating the attack on the Capitol, allowing them access to key records that helped them make their case against Trump. Many credit the Jan. 6 committee’s work with paving the way to the latest indictment against Trump.
In ruling against Trump, Chutkan wrote, “Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.”
Over the weekend, Trump’s allies tried to make the case that Trump could not get a fair trial in D.C.
Several Trump allies-turned-critics, including former Attorney General Bill Barr and former New Jersey Governor and U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, rejected that argument, saying they are confident in the D.C. jurors.
Christie is a rival of Trump's in the 2024 GOP primary.