Trump Vows to Dismiss Special Counsel Jack Smith ‘In Two Seconds’ if Reelected

Donald Trump says that if he wins the White House, He'll fire counsel Jack Smith "within two seconds" of taking office.

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During an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Donald Trump stated on Thursday that if he were to regain the presidency, he would immediately fire special counsel Jack Smith. When asked whether he would prioritize pardoning himself or dismissing Smith to alleviate the legal challenges he faces, Trump confidently replied, โ€œItโ€™s so easy. I would fire him within two seconds. Heโ€™ll be one of the first things addressed.โ€ Smith, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022, has charged Trump for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and for mishandling classified documents.
Donald Trump has consistently criticized special counsel Jack Smith, labeling him a โ€œcrooked personโ€ and reiterating his desire to fire him if he returns to the presidency. If elected, Trump could instruct the Justice Department to remove Smith, although he likely wouldnโ€™t be able to do so unilaterally, as Smith is not a direct appointee of the president.
ย During his presidency, Trump was investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller and reportedly urged his then-White House counsel, Don McGahn, to push the Justice Department to dismiss Mueller, a request McGahn declined. Smith has brought two federal cases against Trump. One case, which accuses Trump of unlawfully retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, was dismissed in July, but Smith is currently appealing that decision.
The other case involves charges of attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election and has been stalled due to a Supreme Court ruling that granted broad immunity for actions taken while in office.
Following Trumpโ€™s declaration that he would fire Jack Smith, Hugh Hewitt suggested that Congress might consider impeaching Trump for such an action. Trump dismissed this possibility, asserting, โ€œI donโ€™t think theyโ€™ll impeach me if I fire Jack Smith. Jack Smith is a scoundrel.โ€ Democrat Kamala Harrisโ€™s campaign has sought to leverage information from Smithโ€™s investigations into Trump against him.
Earlier this month, they released an ad that included footage from the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack alongside headlines from Smithโ€™s inquiry, emphasizing, โ€œHe knew what he was doing.โ€ While Trump criticized Smith, he praised U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, whom he appointed, for dismissing the classified documents case against him in July. โ€œWe had a brave, brilliant judge in Florida,โ€ Trump remarked. โ€œSheโ€™s a brilliant judge, by the way. I donโ€™t know her. I never spoke to her. Never spoke to her. But we had a brave and very brilliant judge.โ€
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