By Steve Neavling
The Justice Department is discussing the possibility of appointing a special counsel to oversee the investigations of Donald Trump if he decides to run for president again, The New York Times reports.
The discussion comes as the Justice Department investigates Trump’s role in overturning the 2020 presidential election and his retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
While stumping for Republicans in Iowa on Thursday night Trump said he’s strongly considering running.
“In order to make our country successful and safe and glorious, I will very, very, very probably do it again,” Trump said.
By appointing a special counsel, the Justice Department would have an easier time countering arguments that the investigation is a political witch hunt.
If Attorney General Merrick Garland appoints a special counsel to handle the investigation of Trump, Garland would still have to decide whether to file charges.
Garland “needs to have a lawyer with Republican pedigree on that team to send the message that this is not a political persecution,” John P. Fishwick Jr., who served as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia from 2015 to 2017, told The New York Times.
“This is the most important criminal case in our country’s history. Ultimately, every person in the United States will be the jury in this case, and they will need to have confidence that the prosecution team reflects all of them,” he said.
