By Steve Neavling
Donald Trump declared Thursday that he would waste no time in firing special counsel Jack Smith if he wins the White House, promising to remove Smith “within two seconds” of taking office.
Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to investigate Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents.
In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump was asked whether he would prioritize a self-pardon or firing Smith to clear the legal cases surrounding him, the Associated Press reports.
“It’s so easy. I would fire him within two seconds,” Trump replied. “He’ll be one of the first things addressed.”
Trump, who frequently criticizes Smith and has previously suggested he would fire him if elected, went on to call the special counsel a “crooked person.”
If Trump regains office, he could direct the Justice Department to dismiss Smith, although he likely couldn’t fire Smith directly, as Smith isn’t a presidential appointee. When Trump was under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller during his presidency, he instructed then-White House counsel Don McGahn to push for Mueller’s removal — a request McGahn ultimately refused.
Smith has filed two federal cases against Trump. One accuses Trump of unlawfully retaining classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate—a charge dismissed in July but now on appeal. The second case, alleging Trump plotted to overturn the 2020 election, was recently delayed due to a Supreme Court ruling granting broad immunity for official acts by a sitting president.
After Trump’s statement about firing Smith, Hewitt raised the possibility that Congress might consider impeachment over such a move. Trump dismissed the suggestion, saying, “I don’t think they’ll impeach me if I fire Jack Smith. Jack Smith is a scoundrel.”
Meanwhile, Democrat Kamala Harris’ campaign has seized on details from Smith’s investigations in its attacks on Trump. Earlier this month, they released an ad featuring footage from the January 6 Capitol attack and headlines stemming from Smith’s probe, with the statement, “He knew what he was doing,” appearing onscreen.
