In an unexpected Tuesday announcement on his podcast, Representative Matt Gaetz announced his intent to introduce a bill that would defund the ongoing special counsel investigation into former President Donald Trump led by Jack Smith.
The Florida Republican, a vocal Trump supporter, accused the investigation of “attacking our democracy and engaging in election interference right now,” during an episode of his “Firebrand with Matt Gaetz” web show.
Rep. Gaetz began his discourse by questioning the legitimacy of the numerous indictments against Trump, suggesting a political motivation behind them.
“You would not see this continued pattern of indictment over indictment over indictment if they thought they neutralized Trump,” he said, arguing that the investigations were politically motivated.
The representative stressed that the investigation’s potential interference in the upcoming presidential election was a serious concern.
He pointed to Trump’s strong performance in current polls as evidence that the investigation was a politically weaponized effort to target him.
“Is there a single American who believes that Donald Trump would be getting indicted over these things if he were not running for president again?” Gaetz asked his listeners.
Gaetz made a call to action to his colleagues in the House of Representatives to halt the funding for the special counsel’s investigation.
“The House of Representatives needs to take action to defund this special counsel investigation immediately,” he urged, adding, “we do not need to wait for the appropriations process.”
“And if the United States Congress does not have the capability to stop that election interference, well, then what is all the flowery oratory about preserving the Republic? We have to operationalize that,” he stated.
He proposed a new bill and framed his intended legislation as a necessary step to protect the integrity of the electoral process and preserve democracy.
“In the coming hours, the coming days, I will be introducing legislation under my name and the House of Representatives as a freestanding bill to defund the Jack Smith investigation,” he revealed.
In addition to election interference, Gaetz voiced concern over what he perceives as a lack of transparency in the Department of Justice, which he accused of withholding information about the makeup of the investigative team.
Gaetz claimed, “They had a team of vicious Democrats and if you look at Jack Smith and his team, you ought to be able to evaluate where they’ve made political donations, where they’ve been political appointees.”
Gaetz’s announcement comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding the investigation.
He concluded by calling on his fellow members of Congress to join him, saying “you deserve to know where your members of Congress are counted. Will they co-sponsor my legislation? I certainly hope they will.”
Gaetz made his announcement the same day Trump revealed that he has become the “target” of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation.
The former president stated in a Truth Social post, “Deranged Jack Smith, the prosecutor with Joe Biden’s DOJ, sent a letter stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation, and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and indictment.”
In his statement, Trump accused Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of carrying out “a third Indictment and Arrest of Joe Biden’s NUMBER ONE POLITICAL OPPONENT, who is largely dominating him in the race for the Presidency.”
