Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday defended special counsel Jack Smith as a "veteran career prosecutor" who "assembled a group of experienced and talented prosecutors and agents who share his commitment to integrity and the rule of law."
Garland's comments were his first public remarks on former President Donald Trump's indictment, although he did not talk about the case specifically, and came as Trump called Smith as a "deranged lunatic," "thug," and "raging and uncontrolled Trump hater."
"As you know, I can't talk about the particulars of this or any other ongoing criminal matter," Garland told reporters at the start of a meeting with U.S. attorneys at the Department of Justice.
"As I said when I appointed Mr. Smith, I did so because it underscores the Justice Department's commitment to both independence and accountability," the attorney general said.
Trump on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to a 37-count indictment brought by Smith over the former president's handling of classified information after he left office.
"The prosecutor in the case — I will call 'our case' — is a thug. I have named him 'Deranged Jack Smith,'" Trump said in a speech from his Bedminster, N.J., property. "He's a behind-the-scenes guy, but his record is absolutely atrocious. He does political hit jobs.
"He’s a raging and uncontrolled Trump hater, as is his wife, who happened to be the producer of that Michelle Obama puff piece. This is the guy I've got," Trump said.
The indictment is the first in U.S. history of a former president and sets up a legal battle likely to play out over coming months as Trump campaigns to win back the presidency in the November 2024 election.