[guest post by Dana]

While Trump whines that he is the target of the special counsel’s criminal probe, former federal Judge Michael Luttig helpfully reminds him that this “is a consequence of the former president’s own provocation”:

“There is not an Attorney General or Special Counsel of either party who would not bring charges against the former president for his efforts on January 6 to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He has dared, taunted, provoked and goaded DOJ to prosecute him for his offenses on and relating to January 6 for two and a half years,” Luttig said.

“The former president has left Jack Smith no choice but to bring charges, lest the former president make a mockery of the Constitution of the United States and the Rule of Law.”

P.S. Unsurprisingly, Republicans are defending Trump after he made public that he is a target of the criminal probe into Jan. 6:

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) suggested…that the government was targeting Trump out of fear he could win next November. “Recently President Trump went up in the polls and was actually surpassing President Biden for reelection. So what do they do now? Weaponize government to go after their No. 1 opponent…This is not equal justice. They treat people differently and they go after their adversaries,” said McCarthy, who after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol said Trump “bears responsibility” for what happened.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) also questioned the timing of the new development in the Jan. 6 investigation and whether there was a double standard being applied to the former president…not[ing] that the news comes as the House Oversight Committee is slated to hear testimony from two IRS whistleblowers this week who alleged an investigation into Hunter Biden was slow-walked by prosecutors…“Now you see the Biden administration going after President Trump once again, it begs that question — is there a double standard? Is justice being administered equally?” he said at the House GOP conference presser.

And crazy Marge suggested that because Smith has, in her words, “weaponized” the DOJ by these “ridiculous” charges, “we are worse than Russia, we are worse than China. We are worse than some of the most corrupt third world countries.”

Today’s Republican Party uh, at work…

–Dana