New York Republican Representative Elise Stefanik has filed an ethics complaint against Special Counsel Jack Smith, accusing him of engaging in a rushed campaign against former President Donald Trump that she believes amounts to election interference. Stefanik claims that Smith has been misusing federal resources to unlawfully interfere with the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
The complaint was submitted to the Office of Professional Responsibility within the Department of Justice and argues that Smith is trying to expedite Trump’s trial regarding his 2020 election speech before the November election, in violation of the DOJ’s Justice Manual. Stefanik points to a specific section of the manual that prohibits federal prosecutors from timing their actions to affect an election or give an advantage to a candidate or political party.
Stefanik alleges that Smith violated this statute by pushing for a trial date in January 2024, despite the extensive amount of discovery material that Trump’s legal team needed to review. She believes that Smith’s attempt to rush the case in a five-month period is a deliberate effort to influence the election outcome.
The congresswoman also accuses Smith of trying to expedite the case by requesting the Supreme Court to intervene before a lower court had reached a judgment. She questions Smith’s motives and argues that his actions are a clear attempt to interfere in the election process.
Stefanik further claims that Smith violated a district court’s order to stay proceedings by serving additional discovery material to Trump’s team. She believes that these actions demonstrate Smith’s partisan intent to impact the results of the 2024 presidential election.
In a similar vein, Florida Representative Matt Gaetz also filed a complaint against Smith, raising concerns about the rushed nature of the trial against Trump. Both Stefanik and Gaetz are seeking investigations into Smith’s conduct to ensure accountability and adherence to ethical standards.
The article was written by Brianna Lyman, an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Her reporting highlights the controversy surrounding Smith’s actions and the implications for the upcoming election.
