DeSantis says he will fire special counsel Jack Smith on ‘day one’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said in a Thursday interview that, if elected president, he would fire special counsel Jack Smith, who brought two indictments against former President Trump, on “day one” of his hypothetical term in office.

DeSantis made the case for why he was the best candidate to win the GOP nomination in 2024 in a Fox News interview with Jason Chaffetz. After referencing Trump’s legal battles in the upcoming year, DeSantis said he would be able to keep focused on holding people accountable, including Smith.

“I think that a guy like me as the nominee will be able to keep the focus on Biden, keep the focus on the Democrats’ failures,” DeSantis said, “but then, more importantly, after you win the election, start holding these people accountable, who have weaponized the legal system to go after their political enemies.”

“And that starts with day one, firing somebody like Jack Smith. That goes to dealing with people who are violating constitutional rights at the state and local government area,” he added.

DeSantis’s remarks echo much of the sentiment in Trumps remarks, which often focus on the so-called “weaponization” of the Justice Department and holding accountable those responsible for some of Trump’s legal troubles. In pledging to fire Smith, DeSantis further aligns himself with some of Trump’s campaign promises.

Smith brought two cases against Trump — one for his efforts to derail the transfer of power and remain in office after losing the 2020 presidential election, and another for alleged willful retention of national security information and refusing to comply with requests to return the documents to the federal government. There is a slim chance that both cases will have concluded by the time voters head to the polls on election day next November.

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