What Could Trump Possibly Get Out of Attacking Special Prosecutor Jack Smith?

[marmar]

(Slate) For months, Donald Trump has been going on the attack against Jack Smith, the special prosecutor tasked with two criminal investigations involving the former president—and who appears likely to indict the former president. One investigation focuses on the 26 boxes’ worth of classified documents Trump took back to his Mar-a-Lago property; the other seeks to determine whether he unlawfully interfered with the transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election.

Trump has laid into Smith in screeds on Truth Social and in speeches, questioning the authenticity of Smith’s name and calling his work “treasonous.”

Upon Smith’s appointment last year, Trump wrote that he was a “Trump Hating THUG” and a “fully weaponized monster.” This quickly spread, with some of Trump’s biggest supporters in Washington, including Sen. Ted Cruz, Rep. Elise Stefanik, and Rep. Jim Jordan, also arguing that Smith and the Department of Justice were corrupt. A few months later, Trump began questioning whether Jack Smith was the prosecutor’s real name, and went so far as to call him an “unfair Savage.” The name-questioning got so bad (“What did his name used to be?”) that Smith’s hometown paper felt compelled to track down Smith’s high school yearbook, and now, the whole world can ponder his 1980s borderline-mullet situation. (He is, indeed, identified as Jack Smith, Class of ’87).

But Trump is still going strong. Just a few weeks ago, Trump blasted Smith in a series of Truth Social posts calling him a “TRUMP Hating Special Prosecutor” who is “working overtime on this treasonous quest.” Trump’s lawyers even asked Attorney General Merrick Garland for a meeting to discuss their perceived “unfair” treatment by Smith.

One might wonder about the wisdom of attacking a government-appointed prosecutor who is actively investigating you. What’s Trump’s angle here?

....(snip)....

So why do it?

To Katzberg, it’s a simple case of Trump being characteristically impulsive and reacting emotionally. “I just don’t think he’s able to control himself. Any experienced lawyer would have resigned a long time before that.” ................(more)

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/05/jack-smith-trump-attacks-special-prosecutor.html

[tanyev]

1. It's like telling the wind not to blow.

[moonscape]

8. Best answer!

[calguy]

2. He'll get an ego rush and a few donations

[vlyons]

3. He gets to vent his anger

He can't control his negative emotions. Plus anger is his habitual response to whatever he finds displeasing.

[Botany]

4. Smith is after TFG on 4 broad things

J-6, the stolen documents @ Merde a Logo, wire fraud and scams from his fund raising, and
all kinds of national and international law breaking involving financial crimes.

Let Trump run his mouth.

[cyclonefence]

5. No better way to keep the MAGATs all churned up

and the more extravagant and outrageous the lies he tells and insinuates, the better they like it. They *want* to believe the ridiculous things he says; he earns his living this way.

[Irish_Dem]

13. Yes and Trump hopes his base will protest and rebel again on his behalf.

[emulatorloo]

21. Protest and/or take up arms. Or hang people.

[NowISeetheLight]

20. Absolutely

Trump just wants to stay out front in the persecution parade.

[KS Toronado]

34. He's keeping MAGAts churned up for one reason

when the day comes he's asked to surrender himself somewhere, he's hoping he can unleash his followers
against our Government much like Jan 6th. to keep himself out of jail. It's how Fascists operate.

[treestar]

6. TFG sees everything as a personal battle

He has no ideas of objective fact. Or the law. He just thinks of anyone opposing him as an enemy, and he fights the enemy directly, as a person. He thinks he will "win" if he insults that person enough.

[RainCaster]

7. It's all about him... and his ego

He cannot control himself in any situation. His ego demands:
He must "grab 'em by the pussy"
Refuse to pay the bill
Insult everyone who is not a despotic ruler
Flap his gums about every perceived injustice (to him)

[moondust]

9. Targeting?

Remember this?

~
O’Reilly had waged an unflagging war against Tiller that did just about everything short of urging his followers to murder him.

According to Salon, between 2005 and April 2009, O’Reilly talked about Tiller on 29 episodes of his show. He repeatedly referred to him as “Tiller the Baby Killer” and hurled all sorts of other epithets in Tiller’s direction: He equated him with Nazis, al-Qaida and NAMBLA; said he was “operating a death mill”; claimed he was “executing babies about to be born”; and equated his profession with the actions of Mao, Hitler and Stalin.

In perhaps the most direct attack on Tiller, O’Reilly came close to saying that he personally would be violent toward Tiller if he could get away with it:

“And if I could get my hands on Tiller – well, you know. Can’t be vigilantes. Can’t do that. It’s just a figure of speech. But despicable? Oh, my God. Oh, it doesn’t get worse. Does it get worse? No.”

~

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/bill-oreillys-dangerous-war-against-dr-tiller-107722/

ON MAY 31ST, 2009, Scott Roeder assassinated Dr. George Tiller.

Stochastic terrorism.

[Irish_Dem]

14. Yes Trump hopes his base will terrorize Smith to make him back down.

[DBoon]

16. "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?"

[GoCubsGo]

18. Yes, same shit, different guy.

It's not just Jack Smith he's doing this to, either. He's painting targets on everyone from those Fulton County election workers right on up to Merrick Garland and Joe Biden. He's doing everything he can to get members of his cult to do his dirty work for him.

[bucolic_frolic]

10. He has boundary issues

He still thinks he's the State. "Treason" indeed. He makes no effort to understand the law. He thinks that whatever he needs or wants, IS the law. These prosecutor people are violating his law, the law of Trump being the greatest. The purpose of law is to serve Trump's interests.

Didn't you know?

[republianmushroom]

11. 28 months and counting

[RKP5637]

12. He is hopeless. His brain is, seriously, neurologically hard-wired differently than

most of us observing. If you were in his head, ugh, what he is doing is perfectly logical and acceptable to him. As part of my studies I worked in a mental hospital a couple of years. The responses you get kinda blow your mind at first until you know what usually to expect.

[claudette]

15. Hopefully

a grand jury indictment. A conviction. And a long prison sentence

[Ocelot II]

17. He can't help himself. He will always attack people who oppose him

even if doing it doesn't actually help him.

[twodogsbarking]

22. He has no defense so he lashes out to attract the attention.

Then it is about him.

[flvegan]

19. Donations from dipshits.

Funding from fools. Rubles from rubes. Dollars from dullards.

Everything is a grift.

[erronis]

29. I'm guessing he's building up his assets in rubes $$$s (not rubles) before heading to the USSR.

When the heat gets a bit to high, he'll hightail it to Moskva with some good US cash. I understand the guy over there is running low on funds.

Trump will finally get his name on a hotel in Russia. However it'll probably be a cinder-block gated community past the Urals. Putin will have no more use for the gas bag.

[unblock]

23. He has always railed against his critics and those who disagree with him

Classic bully technique. If it's allowed to work, it discredits the critics and potentially manipulates them into silence or backing off at least somewhat. Working the ref, if you will.

Not too likely in the case of a prosecutor, especially in this case. But it does push the media to question the legitimacy of the prosecution and therefore it helps Donnie's political status and lays the stage for a pardon or otherwise not complying with the legal process.

[muriel_volestrangler]

39. Yes, working the refs - and that's not the special prosecutor, but Republicans in Congress

and the Republicans on the Supreme Court. As the article says, he quickly got Republicans in Congress to join in - they see it's popular with his base, so they want some of that. It makes it more likely they'll try to defund investigations into Trump, hold stupid hearings about the FBI or DOJ, or launch retaliatory investigations if they can. And if Congress is like that, and the noisy Trump base, it gives an excuse for the Supreme Court to side with him, if he has to appeal judicial decisions, or convictions, all the way up to them.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

24. He'll get sucker donations. . . . nt

[erronis]

30. Hate to say this, but those suckers deserve to lost their money. Just don't go on welfare, Medicaid,

[Marthe48]

25. Current equivalent of allegedly punching his art teacher in the face

He got away with allegedly punching the teacher, allegedly stoning a baby in a play pen and allegedly trying to throw a roommate out a window. He is too fat and old to commit violence on his own, so he pukes word salad in the general direction of all the people dedicated to flushing that smelly turd down and out.

[Iggo]

26. A bump in the polls.

[carpetbagger]

27. This has worked for him all his life and he became president.

At this point, what does he have to gain by not attacking Smith? He's obviously convinced that the case needs to be won extralegally (pardon, law change, insurgency, reelection as president, etc). He may win.

[ancianita]

28. I would also factor in his mafia mentality of "go after the family."

He would have his extremist followers "go after" Smith or family -- however they themselves would do such a thing -- so that he could benefit from it but still deny connection to it.

[CaptainTruth]

31. More charges? A more determined prosecutor?

[wnylib]

32. I see 2 reasons why Trump trashes Smith.

Last edited Sun May 28, 2023, 02:53 PM - Edit history (1)

First, it's just who he is. Trump is thin-skinned and always gets verbally aggressive with anyone that he thinks has slighted or insulted him. He goes on the attack against anyone that he perceives to be a threat to him, whether that threat is real and tangible, like Jack Smith's investigation, or whether the "threat" is to his self image from people who disagree with him or criticize him.

The second reason is of more concern to all of us. A few people have already mentioned it. Trump knows that his strength is in his smoke and mirror acts of obfuscation and gaslighting. His weakness is in solid facts and logical arguments. So he can't rely on the justice system to acquit him because he can't abide by their rules (laws). So he uses obfuscation, lies, attacks, and gaslighting to establish his own form of control over the legal situation.

In other words, Trump is thumbing his nose at the legal system and setting up ways to sidestep it. If he keeps his followers outraged and convinced of his innocence, they will be willing to resort to violence to support him against "the system." I believe that Trump intends to use the rage and loyalty of his followers as a bargaining chip. "Indict me and hold a trial, and I will unleash a reign of terror on the land. Drop all intents of charges and you will have peace."

Jan 6 showed us that he WILL resort to manipulating violent crowds when he feels cornered. So don't ever doubt his intention to have a showdown if Smith brings charges against him.

We should not back down or else Trump and anyone else could hold the country hostage to threats of violence. But be prepared. When Trump is indicted on the documents case, he WILL call for nationwide violence. With him, that's a promise, not just a threat.

There's also the fact that Trump will use the indictments as money makers. "Donate to the Trump Defense Fund."

[Trenzalore]

41. Maybe I'm underestimating things

He didn't get the riot he wanted after the NY indictments. After January 6th, I wonder how many of them are willing to go to jail for him after so many have felony convictions following them around for the rest of their lives.

I know there is criticism that the Justice Department has spent so much time and effort going after the insurrectionists and not the top officials, however, I think partially it has a chilling effect on the threat of these people rioting again.

[wnylib]

42. True, Trump and his acolytes who showed up in NY

did not get the following that they hoped for. But I don't think that Trump expected or wanted a violent turnout over Bragg's case against him. The NY indictment is not as serious as an indictment for violation of the Espionage Act. The consequences if found guilty are much more serious in Smith's investigation than in Bragg's. Also, several legal experts who have been following the Bragg investigation say that his case will be harder to prove. It looks like evidence for espionage charges in Smith's documents case is more solid.

Besides, a conviction for financial fraud could be shrugged off. But a conviction og espionage violation is the same as calling Trump a traitor. Hard to run for president with a conviction like that. Not to mention that a conviction of espionage is most likely to result in some prison time. But, Trump will never allow himself to be imprisoned. He will either instigate a violent grand stand opposition battle or flee the country.

[Warpy]

33. He's a malignant narcissist, it's what they do

There's no strategy. If he didn't have money, he'd be doing it to everybody around him, especially at the neighborhood bar. He's got money, so he's got fanboys who keep sticking microphones into his fat gob.

[3catwoman3]

35. It's his go to response to almost everything.

He has very limited interaction skills, and the vocabulary of a child. Pretty much a one trick pony.

[soldierant]

36. Spite.

His spite is all-consuming, and must be constantly fed.

[Meadowoak]

37. 20 to life, I hope.

[Chainfire]

38. Trump probably thinks that Smith is as dumb as he is.

Trying to bait him into making statements that would call his prosecutorial judgement into question.

[Straw Man]

40. "Trump" and "think" don't belong in the same sentence.

He attacks Smith for the same reason that a dog will bite you if you poke it: pure animal instinct.