DOJ Complaint: Gaetz Alleges Election Interference by Jack Smith

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., on Wednesday filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, accusing special counsel Jack Smith of election interference for pressing the Supreme Court to fast-track consideration of former President Donald Trump’s immunity claim.

“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 press release.

“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.”

Smith on Feb. 14 urged the Supreme Court to let Trump’s 2020 election interference case proceed to trial without further delay in response to a request from Trump’s team asking for a continued pause in the case.

At the time, the court was mulling whether to weigh in on the matter of immunity from prosecution for official acts during the former president’s term. The court decided to take up the question and will hear oral arguments on April 25.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.