Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., proposed on Sunday that one of President-elect Donald Trump’s first tasks in his new term should be to remove any Justice Department employees who worked on investigations involving Trump-related charges.
“First and foremost, the people involved in this should be fired immediately,” Schmitt stated during an interview with AWN’s “Meet the Press.”
“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 quote, unquote threat to democracy, was wrong, and so we’ll see where that goes,” Schmitt replied.
His comments come as special counsel Jack Smith, who was prosecuting two cases against Trump — one related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and one related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office in 2021, plans to close the cases and resign before Trump takes office.
Smith requested that U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan put the 2020 election case on hold a week after Trump was anticipated to win. Chutkan granted the motion soon after it was submitted.
Schmitt characterized his proposal to terminate everyone involved in these instances as a kind of “accountability,” telling moderator Kristen Welker that “[the cases] all fell apart under the weight of the law.” So, I believe accountability is necessary. I believe that returning to crime-fighting is necessary, but there must be accountability for such abuses.
Trump consistently attacked the Justice Department during his campaign this year, detailing what he expected from the department if elected.
Trump has repeatedly stated that he will pardon the more roughly 1,000 supporters who have been charged with charges linked to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol raid.
On the campaign trail, he also stated that he intended to utilize the Justice Department to target his political opponents, including Smith.
On his social media site Truth Social, Trump once tweeted a photo of Smith with the caption, “He should be prosecuted for election interference & prosecutorial misconduct.”
And, following a September campaign event, Trump wrote in a post, “WHEN I WIN, those who CHEATED will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, including long-term prison sentences.” Please be aware that this legal exposure includes lawyers, political operatives, donors, illegal voters, and corrupt election officials.
Schmitt also stated that he would support former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom Trump announced he will propose for attorney general after his original choice, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration.
“Oh, absolutely,” Schmitt answered when asked if he would vote to confirm Bondi.
He went on to say, “I plan to help Pam Bondi gain the votes. I know her well. She is a friend. Pam Bondi is someone I have come to appreciate. She was an excellent attorney general in Florida. “This is a home run for President Trump.”
