counsel jack smith back in november. today he talked just a little bit about his historic role in this case and what he thinks about jack smith. i ll now take a few questions. reporter: speaking for the first time since former president trump was indicted mr. smith is a veteran career prosecutor. reporter: tonight attorney general merrick garland standing by special counsel jack smith, who is prosecuting former president trump and addressing fears of a violent response from protesters. we live in a democracy. these kind of matters are adjudicated through the judicial system. the justice department will be vigilant to ensure that there are no threats of violence or actual violence. reporter: demonstrations tuesday outside the miami federal courthouse where trump was arraigned were largely peaceful i did everything right and they indicted me. reporter: trump gearing up for the legal and political fight of his life. as the first former u.s.