Trump's latest attack includes special counsel's family and friends after bombshell audio revealed

Hours aft the merchandise of an audio tape showing Donald Trump discussing a classified papers that helium kept aft leaving office, the erstwhile president intensified his attacks connected the peculiar counsel who oversees the probe that led to Trump's historical indictment.

In an all-caps societal media post Tuesday morning, Trump decried the transgression charges that person been filed against him successful national tribunal and asked "somebody" to "explain" his presumption to peculiar counsel Jack Smith, "his family, and his friends."

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice declined to remark connected Trump's latest broadside against Smith, who was tapped past twelvemonth to pb aggregate transgression investigations involving the erstwhile president.

Trump was indicted connected charges stemming from his alleged mishandling of classified documents and efforts to support them from the authorities aft leaving office. He pleaded not blameworthy earlier this period to 37 counts, including willful retention of nationalist defence accusation and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Trump's station claimed that "as president of the United States, I travel nether the Presidential Records Act," alternatively of the Espionage Act, which is the instrumentality cited successful the 31 of the counts against Trump. Fact-checkers person disputed Trump's characterizations of some laws.

That connection connected Truth Social was not the archetypal clip Trump has referenced Smith's idiosyncratic circle. On the greeting of his arraignment successful national tribunal successful Florida, the ex-president wrote that Smith is simply a "Trump Hater, arsenic are each his friends and family." That station besides asserted without grounds that materials recovered successful the boxes of records astatine the halfway of the classified documents lawsuit were "probably 'planted.'"

Trump's latest station followed the Monday nighttime merchandise by CNN of an audio signaling of a July 2021 gathering successful Bedminster, New Jersey, successful which Trump references a papers that helium says is "highly confidential" and "secret."

"This was done by the military, and fixed to me," Trump said successful the tape, which was recorded months aft helium near the White House. Trump indicates that the papers has to bash with a program of onslaught connected Iran.

"As president I could person declassified it. Now I can't," helium said successful the recording.

Trump was reportedly speaking to a writer and steadfast who were moving a publication astir erstwhile White House main of unit Mark Meadows. Two of Trump's unit members were besides present.

None of them had information clearances oregon immoderate request to cognize the classified accusation referenced by Trump, according to the indictment, which references a transcript of the recording.

Trump's attacks connected Smith acceptable the signifier and benignant that the erstwhile president has employed against galore of his different ineligible and governmental foes.

He has regularly fired rhetorical salvos against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is starring a separate, state-level transgression prosecution against Trump successful transportation with hush wealth payments made earlier the 2016 statesmanlike election.

Trump successful April pleaded not blameworthy to 34 counts of falsifying concern records successful that case. Ahead of that tribunal quality successful Manhattan, Trump targeted the presiding judge, Juan Merchan, accusing him and his household of being "Trump haters."

Smith is overseeing a abstracted probe of the facts surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and the post-presidential transportation of powerfulness successful 2020. No charges person yet been filed stemming from that investigation, which is ongoing.