Trump claims he is ‘not going to partake’ in special counsel probes

Former President Donald Trump on Friday told Fox News Digital that he won’t “partake” after U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Jack Smith to serve as special counsel for two ongoing criminal investigations involving the GOP leader, who recently announced his 2024 campaign.

“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,” said Trump, who faces various legal issues at the state and federal level. “And I hope the Republicans have the courage to fight this.”

“I have been proven innocent for six years on everything—from fake impeachments to [former Special Counsel Robert] Mueller who found no collusion, and now I have to do it more?” he continued. “It is not acceptable…so unfair. It is so political.”

Also, the first investigation Smith will oversee focuses on the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol that Trump incited with his “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was not legitimate—which led to his unprecedented second impeachment. The second probe focuses on classified documents and other presidential records.

“I have never heard of such a thing. They found nothing. I announce and then they appoint a special prosecutor,” he said. “They found nothing, and now they take some guy who hates Trump. This is a disgrace and only happening because I am leading in every poll in both parties.”

“It is not even believable that they could do this. This is the worst politicization of justice in our country,” Trump added before taking aim at President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and again urging his allies to challenge the investigations.

“It is unfair to the country, to the Republican Party, and I don’t think people should accept it. I am not going to accept it,” he declared. “The Republican Party has to stand up and fight.”

Moreover, U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) tweeted: “Thing is, with prosecutors you don’t have to ‘partake.’ They and the agents and the grand jurors go about their business without you having to ‘partake’ at all. You even have a right not to ‘partake.'”

Additionally, the Biden White House did not receive advance notice of Smith’s appointment, according to Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who said that “the Department of Justice makes their own decision when it relates to criminal investigation.”

“We do not politicize the Department of Justice,” she added. “That is something that the president said during the campaign. That is something that the president said during his early days of being in the White House, and that continues to be true. We were not involved in this particular issue.”

Originally published at Commondreams.org.