[Jack Smith] and his team believe
1). Trump is a criminal
a. who committed four felonies in a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election,
2) that he is a repeat offender
a. who the committed the kind of criminal conduct that would earn him a lengthier sentence and
3). that he should be serving that sentence in 2025, not in the White House.
4). Had Smith's team had its way, the Supreme Court wouldn't have stepped in, and Trump would currently be in federal prison or, at least, a convicted criminal, and it would be preparing its sentencing memos for Chutkan as Election Day nears.
Trump’s campaign rhetoric about the Justice Department, going back to his time in office, has also deeply offended federal prosecutors to their core, undermining the institution and principles they've dedicated their careers to.
Trump's attacks on the Justice Department are similar to those prosecutors have highlighted in the more than 1,500 criminal cases against Jan. 6 defendants, the kinds of comments that federal prosecutors have argued show a lack of remorse and disrespect for the law and therefore warrant longer sentences.
