(UnitedHeadlines.com) – On March 6, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz sent a letter to Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, calling on him to investigate whether special counsel Jack Smith’s actions against former President Donald Trump constitute election interference.
In his letter, Gaetz said Smith continuing to push the Supreme Court to expedite the case against Trump has raised concerns that Smith is trying to influence the outcome of the presidential election.
Gaetz referenced a December 2023 reply brief to the Supreme Court from Smith that repeatedly calls for a “rapid review” of Trump’s federal prosecution because of the case’s “public importance,” though the brief never explains why a rapid review is warranted. Gaetz says Smith’s attempts to set the timeline for the case against Trump violates the rules of the Department of Justice, which say federal prosecutors cannot purposefully affect any election by selecting “the timing of any action.”
In an attempt to clarify Smith’s motive for requesting the trial be fast-tracked and ensure that it is not going to impact the general election, Gaetz is requesting Horowitz interview Smith about why he is pushing for the case to move quickly.
He also requested that Horowitz investigate why the Department of Justice has not complied with oversight requests from Congress.
Trump pleaded not guilty to charges that he attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. In October, Trump’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing Trump was immune from prosecution due to having presidential immunity. The case was not dismissed, and a trial date was scheduled for March 4. Trump’s appeal was heard by a three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that ruled against Trump. However, Trump appealed to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case and, on April 25, will hear arguments about whether Trump can be prosecuted.
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