Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., suggested Sunday that one of President-elect Donald Trump’s first priorities in his new term should be to fire all Justice Department staff who worked on cases involving charges against Trump were.
“First and foremost, the people involved in this need to be fired immediately,” Schmitt said in an interview on NBC News’ ‘Meet the Press.’
“And everyone who participated in this, this effort to keep President Trump off the ballot and throw him in jail for the rest of his life because they didn’t like his politics, and who continue to cite him as a threat, democracy, had wrong, and so we’ll see where that goes,” Schmitt added.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said he supports Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department.
His comments come as special counsel Jack Smith, who prosecuted two cases against Trump — one related to his efforts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election and one related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents after he left office in 2021 – has plans to close the case. handle the cases against Trump and resign before he takes office.
In the week after Trump was expected to win the election, Smith asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to pause the 2020 election case. Chutkan granted the motion shortly after the request was filed.
Schmitt framed his call to fire everyone who worked on these cases as a form of “accountability,” telling moderator Kristen Welker:[The cases] everything fell apart under the weight of the law. And so I think there needs to be accountability. I think it is important to bring back the fight against crime, but there must be accountability for these types of abuses.”
Trump repeatedly attacked the Justice Department during his campaign this year and explained what he would expect from the department if elected.
Trump has often said he would pardon the more than 1,000 supporters charged with crimes related to the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
During his campaign, he also indicated that he would use the Justice Department to attack his political opponents, including Smith.
On his social media site Truth Social, Trump once reposted a photo of Smith with the words: “He should be prosecuted for election interference and prosecutorial misconduct.”
And after a campaign rally in September, Trump wrote in a post: “IF I WIN, the people who CHEAT will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, including lengthy prison sentences. Please note that this legal exposure extends to lawyers, political operatives, donors, illegal voters and corrupt election officials.”
Schmitt also said he would support former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom Trump said he would nominate for attorney general after his previous choice, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration.
“Oh, absolutely,” Schmitt said when asked if he would vote to confirm Bondi.
He added: “I intend to help Pam Bondi get the votes. I know her well. She’s a friend. I’ve come to respect Pam Bondi. She was a great attorney general in Florida. This is a house run by President Trump.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
