Former President Donald Trump's campaign has called out Special Counsel Jack Smith for attempting to sidestep normal legal procedures with an unusual direct appeal to the Supreme Court to settle a dispute over Trump's claimed presidential immunity swiftly, the Daily Wire reported.
The campaign reiterated the accusation that Smith is attempting to interfere in the 2024 election by rushing forward on a rapid timeline in his politically motivated 2020 election-related prosecution of the former president.
Earlier this month, D.C. District Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected a motion to dismiss the case from former President Trump's attorneys because Trump still enjoyed the protection from prosecution of his prior presidential immunity, which prompted Trump to appeal the matter up the judicial chain to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals last week, according to USA Today.
Undoubtedly in the interest of saving time and avoiding a potentially drawn-out appeals process that would endanger the March 2024 trial start date in the case, Special Counsel Smith took the unusual step of leapfrogging the D.C. Circuit Court and going directly to the Supreme Court to settle the matter quickly.
That move led to a furious retort from an unnamed Trump campaign spokesperson, who said in a Monday statement, "Crooked Joe Biden’s henchman, Deranged Jack Smith, is so obsessed with interfering in the 2024 Presidential Election, with the goal of preventing President Trump from retaking the Oval Office, as the President is poised to do, that Smith is willing to try for a Hail Mary by racing to the Supreme Court and attempting to bypass the Appellate Process."
"'Deranged' may need to be reminded that the Supreme Court has not been kind to him, including by handing down a rare unanimous rebuke when the Court overturned him 8-0 in the McDonnell case," the statement continued. "As President Trump has said over and over again, this prosecution is completely politically motivated. It is an unprecedented attack against Crooked Joe Biden’s Political Opponent -- Banana Republic style!"
The spokesperson added, "There is absolutely no reason to rush this Witch Hunt to trial, except to injure President Trump and his 150 million, at least, supporters. President Trump will continue to fight for Justice and oppose these authoritarian tactics."
According to SCOTUSblog, the Supreme Court agreed on Monday to consider Special Counsel Smith's admittedly "extraordinary request" for swift intervention and gave former President Trump's attorneys until next week to file a response.
Given the possibility that the Supreme Court may ultimately decide to not deal with the matter of Trump's presidential immunity until after the D.C. Circuit Court has addressed the issue, the Daily Wire reported that Smith also filed a motion with the appeals court urging an expedited timeline and swift resolution of the dispute.
There is little doubt that Smith's main motivation is to quickly settle the disagreement over Trump's claimed immunity so that the district court's proceedings can resume and a trial can still be commenced in just a matter of months.
That may now be a moot point, however, as The Hill reported Wednesday that Judge Chutkan granted a motion from Trump to effectively place all of the district court's proceedings and deadlines on hold indefinitely while his pending appeals play out in the higher courts.
In a statement Wednesday, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said, "Judge Chutkan has granted President Trump’s motion to stay proceedings pending the resolution of the appeal on President Trump's immunity for doing his job as president and protecting our elections from fraud and abuse."
"This is a big win for President Trump and our rule of law, as it derails Deranged Jack Smith’s rush to judgment strategy of interfering in the 2024 Presidential Election in support of Joe Biden’s campaign," he continued. "They waited almost three years to bring this hoax 'case' and are now desperately trying, and failing, to rush it because they know President Trump is dominating the election. The constitution should not be suspended in a baseless prosecution against the leading candidate for President."
"This stay stops the trial itself and all discovery obligations. The stay will remain in effect while President Trump continues to appeal his assertion of presidential immunity, which should result in the complete dismissal of this witch hunt in its entirety. The American people, not the courts, should decide who becomes president, and they are supporting President Trump in historic numbers," Cheung added.
