Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has requested that the Department of Justice (DOJ) interview special counsel Jack Smith for potential election interference because of his push to expedite former President Donald Trump’s appearance in court.
Smith pressed the Supreme Court in Dec. to resolve Donald Trump’s presidential immunity claim as quickly as possible, saying that the case needs to be “be resolved as expeditiously as possible — and, if the respondent is not immune, [he must] receive a fair and speedy trial on these charges. The public, respondent, and the government are entitled to nothing less.”
Gaetz argues that while the public may be entitled to a fair and speedy trial, Smith’s push to speed up the judicial process constitutes election interference and that his desire to wrap up the trial before November is politically motivated and violates DOJ policy.
“The witch hunt against President Trump by Attorney General Garland and Special Counsel Smith is a partisan exercise, and the American people know it,” Gaetz said in a statement. “The actions of the Special Counsel Smith to speed up the trial against President Trump violate the DOJ’s rules and the law.”
“His public comments and his office’s briefs before the Supreme Court demonstrate that he has no reason for his actions other than to unlawfully interfere in the 2024 presidential election,” he continued.
Gaetz asked that the DOJ interview Smith to determine if his push for a faster resolution to the case is linked to the Nov. presidential election.
BREAKING: Today I’m demanding the DOJ Inspector General Horowitz to investigate the election interference against President Donald J. Trump by Special Counsel Jack Smith.
The witch hunt against President Trump by Attorney General Garland and Special Counsel Smith is a partisan… pic.twitter.com/v5Ysg108BE
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) March 6, 2024
While the DOJ traditionally only considers prosecutors’ actions election interference when they occur 60 days or less before the election, it’s not a formal requirement, and Gaetz argues that election season is already well underway.
Gaetz has also discussed the complaint in a recent episode of The Joe Pags Show.
While it’s widely accepted that the persistent court cases raised against Trump are politically motivated, it’s difficult to say whether Smith will provide an alternate excuse for his rush to meet the former president in court.
