Oct. 24 (UPI) — GOP presidential candidate and convicted felon Donald Trump said Thursday that, if he’s re-elected, he will fire special counsel Jack Smith, the prosecutor charging him in the alleged criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election.
Smith alleges in court filings that Trump carried out a “criminal scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election.” Trump denies the charges.
Trump told right-wing radio host Hugh Hewitt, “It’s so easy — I would fire him within two seconds.”
Smith’s Jan. 6 case said Trump’s scheme is not immune to prosecution because the president has no official duties in election certification and Trump conspired as a private candidate.
“Working with a team of private co-conspirators, the defendant acted as a candidate when he pursued multiple criminal means to disrupt, through fraud and deceit, the government function by which votes are collected and counted,” Smith said in an October 2 motion in the case.
Smith’s office declined to comment on Trump’s threat about possibly firing Smith.
If Trump becomes president again, he will have the opportunity to fire Smith to end both the Jan. 6 criminal charges and the classified documents case criminal cases on which Smith is prosecuting Trump.
Trump has made no secret of his desire to use presidential power if he can get it again to seek vengeance on Trump’s political enemies and to weaponize the Justice Department against them.
He has repeatedly said he feels entitled to use presidential power to go after his political enemies.
Trump has referred to his political adversaries as “the enemy from within.”
Even with that presidential power, Trump would have no power to wipe out his convictions on 34 felonies in New York state for falsifying business records in order to keep damaging information about him from voters in the 2016 election.
Vice President Kamala Harris has warned in her campaign that Trump seeks unchecked power in November.
She said during a CNN Town Hall Wednesday she agrees with former Trump Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly, who said Trump is a fascist.
Asked directly whether she considers Trump a fascist Harris replied, “Yes I do. Yes I do.”
Kelley also said Trump would rule like a dictator, expressed admiration Hitler and wanted generals like Hitler’s, loyal to the leader, not the constitution.
Kelly said Trump had no understanding of the rule of law or the constitution.
