Internet divided as Jack Smith's team says Trump’s handling of classified docs was far worse than Biden’s

WASHINGTON, DC: The legal team of Special Counsel Jack Smith presented a contrasting analysis of the mishandling of classified material by former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden.

The team refuted the claims made by Trump's lawyers, who accused the Special Counsel of “selective” and “vindictive” prosecution and sought dismissal of the case, per the New York Post.

Smith's team responded with vitriol, claiming that Trump's conduct was unprecedented.

What did Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team say about Donald Trump's classified documents case?

Assistant Special Counsel David Harbach wrote in a scathing 12-page filing on Monday, “There has never been a case in American history in which a former official has engaged in conduct remotely similar to Trump’s.”

“The defendants have not identified anyone who has engaged in a remotely similar suite of willful and deceitful criminal conduct and not been prosecuted,” he remarked.

The filing was made in reaction to a motion filed by Trump's legal team last week to dismiss the case in light of Special Counsel Robert Hur's shocking report, which was made public earlier this month, on Biden's handling of classified material.

Trump's supporters have focused on a crucial passage in the comprehensive 388-page Hur report, “Our investigation uncovered evidence that President Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen.”

Prosecutor Hur ultimately decided against charging President Biden, citing several factors. First, Biden had cooperated with the investigation.

Second, there was precedent against charging a sitting Commander-in-Chief.

Finally, there were concerns that a jury would view Biden as a "well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory," which could have endangered efforts to prove willful retention beyond a reasonable doubt.

In his filing, Harbach underlined that Smith's team has far stronger evidence against former President Trump and pointed out another major distinction between the two cases.

“Trump, unlike Biden, is alleged to have engaged in extensive and repeated efforts to obstruct justice and thwart the return of documents bearing classification markings,” Harbach noted.

“[Trump] ostensibly agreed to comply with [the National Archive’s] requests but in fact engaged in additional deception, returning only a fraction of the documents in his possession,” the prosecutor stated.

According to Harbach, former President Trump, along with his valet Waltine Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira, are accused of obstructing the investigation, both of whom are co-defendants in the case.

The prosecutor has alleged that the former President and his aforementioned employees conspired to move boxes at Mar-a-Lago and erase security camera footage.

However, Trump's legal team has argued that the security footage was never deleted.

Harbach has pointed out that Trump's lawyers failed to prove the Special Counsel's office was “motivated by a discriminatory purpose” in the prosecution of the former President.

Both Smith and Hur were appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the respective Justice Department investigations into former President Trump and President Biden.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to the 40 criminal counts he is facing in the classified documents case.

The 77-year-old MAGA strongman is facing three additional indictments with an additional 51 criminal counts, to which he has denied any wrongdoing.

Internet divided over claim Trump's case is worse than Biden's

People on X expressed their reactions to the back and forth that unfolded between Trump's legal team and Special Counsel Jack Smith's team on Monday.

One X user remarked, "Yeah he is totally credible. NOT!"

Another user snarked, "He should have kept them in an unsecured garage instead of locked up at Mar a Lago."

Someone else said, "Yes, I’m sure everyone will just take his word for it."

One user wrote, "Lol how so Biden left his in his garage for anyone to just grab."

Another claimed, "That is an objectively factual position for Jack Smith to take."

Someone else tweeted, "Biden wasn’t supposed to even have them in the first place so it doesn’t matter."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.