Former President Joe Biden doled out a flurry of pardons during his final days in office, but he did not issue a pardon for Jack Smith, or other figures connected to cases involving President Donald Trump, who has frequently castigated those he feels have unjustly targeted him.
In a post on Truth Social earlier this month, Trump asserted that "Corrupt Democrat judges and prosecutors" had targeted him "at levels of injustice never seen before."
Biden also did not pardon figures Trump has publicly assailed, including Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, New York Judge Juan Merchan, and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Trump has often decried Jack Smith, the special counsel who sought to wage two federal cases against him, but who has now resigned. Trump has repeatedly called the man "Deranged Jack Smith."
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought a case that led to a jury finding Trump guilty of charges of falsifying business records. Bragg has been one of the targets of Trump's ire.
Trump has also excoriated Judge Juan Merchan, who was involved in Trump's New York criminal trial. Earlier this month, ahead of Trump's inauguration as president, Merchan sentenced Trump to an unconditional discharge.
The Georgia Court of Appeals declared Fulton County Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis disqualified from a Trump-related election interference case.
Excerpted story by Alex Nitzberg.
