House Republican Conference chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) filed an ethics complaint against special counsel Jack Smith with the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility on Tuesday, accusing him of "illegal election interference."
Smith is currently prosecuting two of former President Donald Trump four criminal cases — the election conspiracy case in Washington, D.C., currently held up by a Supreme Court review to determine if Trump has presidential immunity, and the classified document theft case being heard in Florida.
Stefanik argues that Smith violated federal prosecution policy by trying to ask the Supreme Court for an expedited review of Trump's immunity claims, in a bid to prevent Trump from stalling the trial until after the 2024 presidential election. Smith's request was ultimately denied.
"Jack Smith’s multiple attempts to rush to trial the federal January 6th case against President Trump violated long-standing, explicit Justice Department policy," Stefanik wrote.
"Further, Jack Smith’s repeated violations of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia’s stay of proceedings are a lawless breach of trial ethics and lawyerly conduct. Jack Smith’s actions brought disrepute to the Justice Department and the federal government as a whole, and he should face discipline appropriately."
"Your office should open an investigation into Biden special counsel Jack Smith’s apparent violations of Justice Department standards and his other ethical duties, in Biden special counsel Jack Smith’s obvious attempt to politicize his criminal prosecution and unlawfully interfere in the 2024 presidential election," she concluded.
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Stefanik, who has herself suggested she would agree to overturn a presidential election in the way that former Vice President Mike Pence refused to were she in his position, was placed in charge of the GOP Conference, one of the highest positions in House leadership, after her predecessor, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), was ousted in retaliation for her vote to impeach Trump for the January 6 attack.
She has also weighed in against Trump's other criminal prosecutions, demanding the recusal of Judge Juan Merchan from the ongoing hush money trial against Trump in Manhattan.
Stefanik is rumored to be on Trump's shortlist of potential vice president picks.
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