WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says that if elected he will fire the federal prosecutor leading the criminal probes into his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat and alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office.
Asked during an interview whether he would pardon himself or fire Special Counsel Jack Smith, the former US president says: “It’s so easy. I would fire him within two seconds.”
US Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022 appointed Smith to the special counsel role, one meant to give him independence in leading the politically charged investigations into Trump.
Firing Smith would end the two cases almost immediately.
Asked if he believed lawmakers would move to file impeachment charges against him if he fired Smith, Trump tells conservative podcast host Hugh Hewitt, “No, I don’t think they would impeach me if I fired Jack Smith.”
The decision of whether to open an impeachment inquiry into Trump would lie with the party that wins control of the US House of Representatives in the November 5 election.
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From the Liveblog of
Thursday, October 24, 2024
