Trump special counsel: ‘We have one set of laws in this country‘

Special counsel Jack Smith delivered a brief public statement Friday hours after a federal indictment was unsealed charging former President Donald Trump with 37 felony counts in connection with his handling of classified records.

Smith said his office will seek a "speedy trial" and emphasized the rule of law’s bedrock foundation for the U.S. judicial system and his investigation in his statement,.

“We have one set of laws in this country and they apply to everyone," Smith said. "Applying those laws, collecting facts, that’s what determines the outcome of an investigation. Nothing more, nothing less."

Appointed as special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland last November, Smith had previously served as the head of the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section, which is tasked with investigating public corruption.

Trump lashed out at Smith on his Truth Social platform Friday, calling him “a deranged ‘psycho’ that shouldn’t be involved in any case having to do with ‘Justice.’” The former president also called Smith and his wife both a “Trump Hater.”

Alluding to the national security risks caused by Trump’s alleged mishandling, Smith said that laws safeguarding national defense information are “critical to the safety and security of the United States,” and that violations of these laws “put our country at risk.”