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After getting sworn into office, President-elect Donald Trump should embark on an effort to fire staffers at the Justice Department who worked on criminal cases against him, Sen. Eric Schmitt argued.
The Missouri Republican who previously served as his state’s attorney general, contended that DOJ staffers who worked on the cases against Trump were embarking on an effort to undercut the will of the voters.
“And anybody part of this, this effort to keep President Trump off the ballot and to throw him in jail for the rest of his life because they didn’t like his politics, and who continue to cast him as a ‘threat to democracy,’ was wrong, and so we’ll see where that goes,” Schmitt told NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday.
Special counsel Jack Smith oversaw the DOJ’s two indictments against Trump, including the 40-count Mar-a-Lago document case and the four-count 2020 election subversion case.
The indictment for alleged hoarding of classified documents was thrown out by a Florida judge and the 2020 election subversion case was revived from a hiatus shortly before the Nov. 5 election. Following Trump’s victory, the 2020 case was put on pause again.
Now, Smith is reportedly planning to wind down both cases and step down before Trump roars back into the White House.
“[The indictments] all fell apart under the weight of the law. And so I do think there needs to be accountability. I think that getting it back to crime-fighting is important, but there has to be accountability for these kinds of abuses,” Schmitt contended.
As president, Trump will theoretically be allowed to tell the DOJ to stand down on the charges against him, which is why his legal team’s strategy was widely seen as an effort to delay as much as possible.
In addition to Smith’s indictments against Trump, there are two indictments — the 34-count hush money case and the 10-count 2020 Georgia election tampering case — that are at the state level, and therefore beyond Trump’s reach as president.
Sentencing in the hush money case, on which Trump was found guilty, has been delayed indefinitely and the judge is weighing whether to toss it entirely. Meanwhile, the Georgia case is in limbo but in limbo pending a challenge against Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis. A state appeals court canceled oral arguments in that case until further notice.
Trump, 78, has mused about targeting individuals such as Smith for “election interference” and ” prosecutorial misconduct.”
“WHEN I WIN, those people that CHEATED will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences. Please beware that this legal exposure extends to Lawyers, Political Operatives, Donors, Illegal Voters, & Corrupt Election Officials,” he posted on Truth Social back in September.
Initially, Trump had tapped former firebrand Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as his pick to helm the Justice Department. But after consternation over the sex trafficking allegations against him — that he’s denied — it became clear Gaetz lacked the votes in the Senate, prompting him to drop out.
The incoming president then announced that he would nominate former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his attorney general instead.
Schmitt, whose name was tossed around in the rumor mill for AG, affirmed that he’d back Bondi.
“I intend to help Pam Bondi get the votes. I know her well. She’s a friend. I’ve come to respect Pam Bondi. She was a great attorney general in Florida. This is a home run by President Trump,” he said.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump had occasionally told voters he would be their “retribution.” Now that he’s won, Trump has indicated that making the country succeed will be his retribution.
“And while many others are calling for meetings, I am not looking for retribution, grandstanding or to destroy people who treated me very unfairly, or even badly beyond comprehension,” Trump told Fox News.
“I am always looking to give a second and even third chance, but never willing to give a fourth chance — that is where I hold the line.”