Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith’s Flagrant Lie

After unsealing the federal criminal indictment of former president Donald Trump, special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the prosecution, told the media, “We have one set of laws in this country. They apply to everyone.”

That is one flat-out lie. Smith knows full well that there are actually two sets of laws in this country — one set that applies to the members of the national-security establishment and another set that applies to everyone else.

Consider James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence. In March 2013, he committed perjury when he told Congress under oath that the NSA was not secretly collecting data on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans. 

Clapper wasn’t charged with any offense whatsoever. The reason? He was a member of the national-security establishment.

Recall Richard Helms, the former director of the CIA. He too committed perjury by falsely denying to Congress that U.S. officials had secretly intervened in the Chilean national elections in 1970. 

Although Helms had clearly committed a felony, he was permitted to plead guilty to a misdemeanor and then given probation. The reason for that mild slap on his wrist? He was a member of the national-security establishment. 

What about those CIA officials who orchestrated the kidnapping and assassination of Chilean Gen. Rene Schneider in 1970? They were never brought to justice, not even indicted. The reason? They were members of the national-security establishment. 

What about those CIA officials who orchestrated and planned the assassination of Congo leader Patrice Lumumba. No criminal indictment. The reason? They were members of the national-security establishment.

How about the military officials who murdered Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in 2020 while he was visiting Iraq? Again, no indictment whatsoever. The reason? They were members of the national-security establishment.

How about those helicopter pilots who killed innocent people in Iraq, as disclosed by Julian Assange and Wikileaks? No indictment. The reason? They were members of the national-security establishment. Instead, U.S. officials indicted Assange for disclosing those murders. The reason? He’s not a member of the national-security establishment.

How about Sydney Gottlieb, the CIA official who subjected American citizens to Nazi-like medical experiments in Operation MKULTRA and then destroyed all his records to prevent America from learning the full extent of what he had done? Nothing was done to him. The reason? He was a member of the national-security establishment. 

What about the torturers at Abu Ghraib and Gitmo as well as those officials who intentionally destroyed the CIA’s torture videos? They weren’t indicted either. The reason? They were members of the national-security establishment. 

Recall the CIA officials who murdered Iraqi Gen. Manadel al-Jamadithat after he had been taken into custody as a prisoner at Abu Ghraib. No indictment. The reason? They were members of the national-security establishment. 

The list, of course, goes on and on. Special Counsel Smith is lying. The fact is that there is one set of laws that applies to the national-security establishment and another set of laws that applies to everyone else. 

Perhaps it’s worth mentioning Martha Stewart. She supposedly made some false statements to federal officials without even being under oath. She got indicted, convicted, and sent to prison. The reason? She is one of us. Like Assange, she wasn’t a member of the national-security establishment. Therefore, a different set of laws applied to her.