Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) claimed Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that special counsel Jack Smith’s new court filing was so close to the presidential election because of former President Donald Trump’s legal delays.
Kristen Welker said, “I want to ask you about the timing of all of this, Congressman, which you know has been in focus. The former federal prosecutor referred to this brief as Jack Smith’s, quote, October cheap shot. Donald Trump has accused the Justice Department of election interference essentially by violating its longstanding practice not to take public steps in politically related cases close to an election. So I wonder if you would weigh in on this. Do you think it was appropriate for this brief to be unsealed this close to the election, Congressman?”
Schiff said, “I do think it was appropriate and we have to look at why the delay was occasioned in the first place and so much of the delay had to do with the defendant’s stall tactics in the lower courts and the appellate courts and the Supreme Court. It had a lot to do with the Supreme Court’s decision to wait until the last day of session, to wait until as close to the election as possible because the Supreme Court now, sadly, the legacy of the Chief Justice Roberts has become yet another partisan institution, decided to issue its decision at the latest moment. Then what you see the special counsel do is what he should do which is promptly go back to the grand jury, get a superseding indictment that meets the new limits placed on evidence and charges in a presidential prosecution, bring that indictment forward and then file a brief before the district court to continue the process. So I think the special counsel did what he should do. I think the court was well in its discretion to make that public.”
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