The Congressman's correspondence demanded detailed information regarding special counsel Jack Smith's office and the staff involved in the ongoing investigation into Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Gaetz's demands come as Trump faces an indictment on 37 counts, including alleged willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and making false statements. Stemming from Smith's investigation, the former President is scheduled to appear before a federal court in Miami at 3 PM ET.
Representative Gaetz requests the public disclosure of all names associated with the investigation in Smith's office. According to the Congressman, the past work of Smith's office is "both highly irregular and of extraordinary public concern." Gaetz is particularly interested in the structure of the office and its employees. He's given Attorney General Garland until July 7 to produce "all staff rosters, phone lists, or similar records, within the custody or control of the Department of Justice, depicting all employees hired by or detailed to the office of Special Counsel Jack Smith."
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Insisting that such information should be readily available to the public, Gaetz contends that "this simple staff list cannot be withheld from Congress or the public on the basis of attenuated and entirely fantastic privacy concerns."
June 14, 2023
The Congressman underscored the case of Karen Gilbert, a deputy on Smith's team, who resigned from her position as head of the narcotics section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida in 2009 amid misconduct allegations. Federal Election Commission records also indicate that Gilbert has previously made donations exceeding $2,000 to the campaigns of President Biden and former President Barack Obama.
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Moreover, Gaetz's correspondence threatened to initiate congressional action to defund Smith's office. "While there are innumerable valid legislative purposes for this request, it should be obvious that doing due diligence in vetting an office that has apparently done no vetting of its own personnel, or worse, might affirmatively be seeking to staff with sanctioned lawyers and partisan hatchet-men (and women), is an entirely appropriate purpose and one small reason I am requesting this information," he stated.
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June 14, 2023
Meanwhile, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, announced on Monday her intent to introduce a measure aimed at defunding Smith's office and the ongoing investigation into Trump. In an address on the House floor, Greene referred to the investigation as a "weaponized government attempt to take down the top political enemy and leading presidential candidate of the United States, Donald J. Trump."
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Against these announcements, Judicial Watch, a conservative activist group, filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the DOJ last week. The group seeks to obtain records disclosing the names of the staffers working on the case against Trump, a request previously denied by the DOJ over privacy concerns.
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As these developments unfold, the Trump campaign is actively working to undermine the credibility of Smith and his office by highlighting past allegations against staff members involved in the investigation. A November 22, 2022, report by the Washington Examiner claimed that Smith, in his previous role leading the Justice Department's public integrity unit, played an "instrumental" function in the Lois Lerner IRS scandal, which targeted conservative nonprofit groups.
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In related news, Jay Bratt, reportedly a part of Smith's team, was recently accused of misconduct by an attorney representing Walt Nauta, one of Trump's assistants who was indicted in the classified documents case. Similarly, Gilbert, another local prosecutor on Smith's team, voluntarily stepped down from her position in the U.S. Attorney's Office in 2009 to sidestep severe penalties for allegedly eavesdropping on recorded phone conversations between witnesses and defense attorneys in a narcotics case.
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Reacting to these developments, Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump super PAC Make America Great Again Inc., commented to Fox News Digital, "It's no surprise that the bogus indictment of President Trump is coming from far-left prosecutors Jack Smith and Karen Gilbert. Smith has a long history of trying to use the courts to target conservatives, and Gilbert has a record of unethical misconduct. Every American deserves to know who else is working on their team, as they are interfering in the 2024 election."
This contentious political drama unfolds as Trump faces arraignment in Miami. Supporters of the former President, like Gaetz and Greene, are taking measures to fight back against what they perceive as politically motivated prosecutions. Their actions reflect the escalating tensions within a divided Congress and have consequences that extend beyond the political sphere and into law enforcement and the judicial process.
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While declining to comment specifically on the recent statements, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida referred Fox News Digital to Special Counsel Jack Smith's previous declaration. Last week, Smith maintained, "The prosecutors in my office are among the most talented and experienced in the Department of Justice. They have investigated this case hewing to the highest ethical standards. And they will continue to do so as this case proceeds."
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The ripples of this indictment and the subsequent political reactions continue to shape the landscape of American politics. With 2024 on the horizon, the ultimate effects of these maneuvers are yet to be seen. As things stand, one thing is clear: the clash over the legitimacy of this investigation underscores the ongoing political divide, and this issue promises to remain a central talking point in the days to come.
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