Jack Smith touts severity of Trump charges, but highlights presumption of innocence

Special counsel Jack Smith on Friday addressed his case against former President Donald Trump, whom he has charged with 37 counts, including mishandling classified documents, making false statements, conspiracy to obstruct, and falsification of records.

Smith, whom Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed, has pursued the DOJ's case against Trump since November. The case first became a matter of public knowledge in August of last year when the FBI raided Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate seeking classified materials he may have removed from the White House.

"The men and women of the United States intelligence community and our armed forces dedicate their lives to protecting our nation and its people," he said. "Our laws that protect nation defense information are critical to the security and safety of the United States and they must be enforced. Violations of those laws put our country at risk."

Smith explicitly highlighted that Trump remains innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and promised to pursue the case in a timely manner. He further insisted that prosecutors in his office had conducted the investigation ethically and would continue to uphold that standard as they pursue it further.

Trump must appear at the Miami federal courthouse on Tuesday to be arraigned. Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who previously handled his request for a special master to review the documents from his estate, will handle the case.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.