Former President Donald Trump expressed on Thursday that if he is re-elected in November, he would fire special counsel Jack Smith almost immediately upon taking office. In a conversation with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump was asked whether he would opt to pardon himself or dismiss Smith to alleviate the legal pressures surrounding his presidency. Smith, appointed in 2022 by Attorney General Merrick Garland, has brought charges against Trump related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Trump’s response was direct: “It’s so easy. I would fire him within two seconds. He’ll be one of the first things addressed,” he stated. This comment reflects Trump’s ongoing criticisms of Smith, whom he has labeled as a “crooked person.” If Trump were to ascend to the presidency once more, he would have the authority to request the Justice Department to dismiss Smith, although this might not be a straightforward task, given that Smith is not appointed directly by the president.
During his term, Trump had previously faced another special counsel investigation, where he had urged his then-White House counsel, Don McGahn, to push for the termination of Robert Mueller. McGahn resisted that attempt. Smith’s investigations have resulted in two federal cases against Trump. The first involves accusations of improper retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence, which was dismissed in July, a decision that Smith is currently appealing. The second case, which entails allegations of conspiracy to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election, is experiencing delays stemming from a Supreme Court ruling that grants substantial immunity for a president’s official actions.
In response to Trump’s intention to dismiss Smith, Hewitt suggested that Congress might consider impeachment proceedings against Trump for taking such an action. To this, Trump replied that he thought it unlikely, asserting, “I don’t think they’ll impeach me if I fire Jack Smith. Jack Smith is a scoundrel.” Meanwhile, the campaign of Democrat Kamala Harris has attempted to leverage insights from Smith’s investigations in their strategy against Trump, recently releasing an advertisement that featured footage from the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection alongside headlines about the ongoing inquiry.
Adding another dimension to his comments, Trump took a moment to commend U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who he appointed and who dismissed the classified documents case against him. He described her as a “brave, brilliant judge” while adding, “I don’t know her. I never spoke to her. Never spoke to her. But we had a brave and very brilliant judge.” This highlights Trump’s mixed views within the legal framework surrounding his various challenges.
