After the former president appeared in a Miami federal courtroom on Tuesday to answer a 37-count indictment for allegedly mishandling classified documents, Donald Trump blasted special prosecutor Jack Smith.

Trump described Smith and the “Department of Injustice” as “thugs” who are attempting to ruin his family in comments made at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf course later that evening.

“By the way, I will tell you, I’m here, and I love you all, and we can take it. But what these thugs, what these thugs have done to my family, is a disgrace. I’ll tell you that,” he said at one point.

“And I say it to all of the fake news because there’s a lot of it back there,” Trump continued, pointing at reporters at the back of the crowd. “What they did to my family. And that young man right there, he’s answered more subpoenas than any human being in the history of the world,” he added, apparently referencing his son, Eric Trump.

“And you know what? They have nothing. After all of those subpoenas, literally thousands. Congress, fake counsels, the Mueller report, all of this. All he did is answer subpoenas all the time. At least he’s become very experienced at that. Congratulations. But Eric is fantastic. And what he and Don and Ivanka and the whole group, that’s what they’ve gone through,” the former president continued.

“Take a look at this guy. He looks like a thug,” he said of Smith. “He feels much safer in the inner sanctums of the Department of Injustice, where he can be in his room and scream at people. He’s a raging and uncontrolled Trump hater, as is his wife, who also happened to be the producer of that Michelle Obama puff piece,” he added.

Smith has filed 37 charges against Trump relating to his management of classified documents. Trump, President Joe Biden’s chief opponent in next year’s presidential election, could face decades in prison if proven guilty on all charges.

Trump’s counsel entered a “not guilty” plea on his behalf in federal court on Tuesday. Trump was granted unrestricted pre-trial parole, with the exception of a prohibition on contacting witnesses.

At least twice, according to the indictment, Trump is alleged to have shown classified documents to individuals who lacked the necessary security clearances. The DOJ claims that both incidents occurred at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

CNN received information regarding one of the alleged instances.

CNN reported on June 2 that federal prosecutors “obtained an audio recording of a summer 2021 meeting in which former President Donald Trump admits he kept a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran,” contradicting his claim that he declassified everything.

More on this story via Conservative Brief:

Trump announced last Thursday that he had been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on charges connected to his handling of classified materials. CONTINUE READING…