8 'secret' legal fights between Trump and Jack Smith documented by CNN report

CNN is reporting that special counsel Jack Smith's sprawling investigation into former President Donald Trump now includes eight "secret" court battles that the network says are aimed at uncovering "some of the most closely held details" about the former president's actions after the 2020 election.

The report notes that the eight sealed cases filed by Smith's team is an unusually high number, which it said reflects both the scope of the investigation and "Trump’s ultra-combative style in the face of investigations."

What's more, CNN notes that the number of sealed cases involving Smith's investigation is likely to grow in the coming weeks, as the investigation is likely to file another sealed case intended to compel testimony from former Vice President Mike Pence.

Neil Eggleston, a former White House counsel under President Bill Clinton, said that the large number of sealed cases showed that "we are in extraordinary times" and then added that "part of it is I think President Trump continues to assert these theories long after they’ve been batted away by the courts."

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Trump has decried Smith as a "thug" and has raged against the investigations into him as a "witch hunt."

Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland last year to investigate both Trump's efforts to illegally remain in power after losing the 2020 presidential election, as well as his handling of top-secret government documents that he stashed at his Mar-a-Lago resort and did not return even when served a lawful subpoena.