Special counsel Jack Smith blasts Trump's claim of 'vindictive prosecution'

Special counsel Jack Smith this week responded to Donald Trump's claim that he was engaged in a selective and "vindictive prosecution."

In a motion filed on Tuesday, Smith fired back at Trump's motion to dismiss his election subversion case.

"There is no evidence that the indictment in this case was returned based upon anything other than the facts and the law, and the defendant cannot meet the high bar that is required to succeed on a selective or vindictive prosecution motion," Smith wrote.

The special counsel argued, "The defendant engages in rank speculation and offers the Court nothing more than conspiratorial narratives of prosecutorial bias and abuse."

"This rumor and innuendo is not a substitute for proof, and it falls far short of the sort of clear, objective evidence that is required to support a selective or vindictive prosecution claim. The defendant fails to satisfy the standard to support a request for discovery, much less the extraordinary step of dismissing the indictment," he said.