Donald Trump calls appointment of special counsel a ‘horrendous abuse of power’

Mr Garland said that Mr Trump’s announcement of his presidential candidacy and President Joe Biden’s likely 2024 run were factors in his decision to appoint Mr Smith

Former US president Donald Trump has called the appointment of a special counsel to investigate the presence of classified documents at his Florida estate a ‘horrendous abuse of power’ (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)

Former US president Donald Trump has called the appointment of a special counsel to investigate the presence of classified documents at his Florida estate a “horrendous abuse of power”.

US attorney general Merrick Garland on Friday named veteran prosecutor Jack Smith to oversee the Justice Department’s probe into the documents as well as key aspects of a separate investigation involving the January 6 2021 insurrection and efforts to undo the 2020 election.