Jack Smith’s press conference about Trump’s indictment was exactly what it needed to be

DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith has long made it clear (through his ongoing silence) that he has no interest in being a publicist for his criminal case against Donald Trump. But once he indicted Trump in dozens of felony counts including the Espionage Act, the media was never going to stop hounding him about doing a press conference until he did one. So today he did one. And it was exactly what it needed to be.

Smith spoke only briefly and took no questions, as expected. But he did make clear that everyone needs to be held equally accountable under the law (the same thing his boss Merrick Garland has always said about holding Trump accountable). Smith also stressed that he’s aiming for a “speedy trial” in accordance with the public interest.

That last part was a good reminder that Jack Smith, a top tier prosecutor with a stellar track record of nailing his convictions, knows what he’s doing. He expects to be able to overcome Trump’s two bit stall tactics and make the trial happen with plenty of time before the 2024 election.

Smith also made a point of praising the integrity of his own prosecutorial team, seemingly shooting down the conspiracy theories that Trump’s team keeps making up about various members of Smith’s team. Those kinds of antics aren’t going to magically get Trump anywhere in this arena. Jack Smith is putting him in prison.