House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican, along with Rep. Barry Loudermilk, a Republican hailing from Georgia, have crafted a letter that has been sent off to Special Counsel Jack Smith that contains a simple, but almost ominous message: preserve your records. Why this message? Jordan and others on the committee are concerned that Smith, who has led several investigations into President-elect Donald Trump and charged him with allegedly attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election along with mishandling classified documents, might trash documents and records before the end of the month.
“The Committee on the Judiciary is continuing its oversight of the Department of Justice and the Office of Special Counsel. According to recent public reports, prosecutors in your office have been ‘gaming out legal options’ in the event that President Donald Trump won the election,” they stated in the letter addressed to Smith. “With President Trump’s decisive victory this week, we are concerned that the Office of Special Counsel may attempt to purge relevant records, communications, and documents responsive to our numerous requests for information.”
The two authors of the letter informed Smith that the Office of Special Counsel is “not immune from transparency or above accountability for its actions.”
“We reiterate our requests, which are itemized in the attached appendix and incorporated herein, and ask that you produce the entirety of the requested material as soon as possible but no later than November 22, 2024,” the two congressmen wrote.
Here’s more from Fox News:
Jordan and Loudermilk are demanding Smith turn over information about the use of FBI personnel on his team — a request first made in June 2023 — and whether any of those FBI employees “previously worked on any other matters concerning President Trump.” They also renewed their request from August 2023, demanding records relating to Smith and prosecutor Jay Bratt visiting the White House or Executive Office of the President; a request from September 2023 for records related to lawyer Stanley Woodward—who represented Trump aide Walt Nauta; a request from December 2023 for communications between Attorney General Merrick Garland and the special counsel’s team; and more.
The Justice Department is looking to wind down two federal criminal cases against President-elect Trump as he prepares to be sworn in for a second term in the White House — a decision that upholds a long-standing policy that prevents Justice Department attorneys from prosecuting a sitting president. DOJ officials have cited a memo from the Office of Legal Counsel filed in 2000, which upholds a Watergate-era argument that asserts it is a violation of the separation of powers doctrine for the Justice Department to investigate a sitting president. It further notes that such proceedings would “unduly interfere in a direct or formal sense with the conduct of the Presidency.”
“In light of the effect that an indictment would have on the operations of the executive branch, ‘an impeachment proceeding is the only appropriate way to deal with a President while in office,’” the memo then concluded.
Jack Smith:
Preserve your records. pic.twitter.com/Toazp1EATk
— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) November 8, 2024
The Supreme Court decided that Trump would be immune from criminal prosecution for any and all official acts as president, which forced Smith to cook up and file a brand new indictment. The president-elect pleaded not guilty to the new set of charges brought against him as well. The legal team representing Trump says they are now seeking to have the election interference charges tossed out completely in D.C., alleging Smith was not appointed lawfully.
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