A House appropriator is planning to introduce measures that would prohibit taxpayer funding for criminal cases pending against former President Donald Trump.
Rep. Andrew Clyde, Georgia Republican and member of the House Appropriations Committee, said Monday he plans to introduce an amendment to the government spending bill that funds the Justice Department that would block taxpayer funding for prosecuting any major presidential candidate. A second amendment would prevent funding for state prosecutions of presidential candidates.
The legislation, he said, would “protect the integrity of the 2024 presidential election.”
The appropriations panel will meet next month to vote on fiscal 2024 spending legislation, including the bill that funds the Justice Department.
“Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars have no place funding the radical Left’s nefarious election interference efforts,” Mr. Clyde said in a statement.
Mr. Clyde said he wants to “defund” special counsel Jack Smith, who has indicted Mr. Trump for his possession and handling of classified documents, as well as his actions to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. He also aims to strip funding from Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis, who is prosecuting Mr. Trump for trying to overturn the 2020 election results in the Peach State.
The legislation would also target Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is charging Mr. Trump over his actions related to alleged hush money payments made ahead of the 2016 election.
“It is imperative that Congress use its power of the purse to protect the integrity of our elections, restore Americans’ faith in our government and dismantle our nation’s two-tiered system of justice,” Mr. Clyde said.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, said in June that she plans to introduce a bill to defund Mr. Smith in order to stop the investigations into Mr. Trump. Reps. Matthew Gaetz, Florida Republican and Andrew Ogles, Tennessee Republican, have measures targeting Mr. Smith’s funding and salary.
Even if a funding ban gets through the GOP-led House, it would have essentially no chance in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
The House Judiciary Committee, meanwhile, announced an investigation into Ms. Willis, an elected Democrat, to determine if her prosecution of Mr. Trump is “politically motivated.”
On Sunday night, attorney Alina Habba, the legal spokeswoman for Mr. Trump, called for Mr. Smith to be investigated, saying all of the charges brought against Mr. Trump “intentional” and “political.”
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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