Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has written a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, urging him to disclose information about special counsel Jack Smith’s office, which is conducting an investigation into alleged mishandling of classified documents by President Trump. Gaetz’s letter revealed that one of Smith’s prosecutors had donated to President Biden’s campaign in 2020 and faced misconduct allegations in 2009.
Trump has been indicted on 37 counts as a result of Smith’s investigation, including charges of deliberate retention of national security information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and false statements. He is scheduled to appear before a federal court in Miami at 3PM ET today.
Gaetz demanded that Garland make the names of all individuals involved in Smith’s office public. He requested the turnover of staff rosters, phone lists, or similar records by July 7, claiming that the structure of Smith’s office was a matter of public concern due to its irregularities.
The congressman argued that such information should be made public without question, dismissing any privacy concerns as baseless. Gaetz specifically mentioned Karen Gilbert, one of Smith’s deputies, who resigned in 2009 following allegations of wrongdoing during her tenure as chief of the narcotics division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Gilbert has made campaign donations to both President Biden and former President Obama.
Gaetz hinted at the possibility of defunding Smith’s office through congressional action, stating that the 118th Congress has procedures in place for targeted rescission of funds from components or subcomponents that do not operate in the public interest.
On the same day that Trump’s arraignment was scheduled in Miami, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced her intention to file legislation to defund Smith’s office and the investigation. Gaetz had previously expressed support for Greene’s proposal.
Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, has sued the Department of Justice under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to obtain documents revealing the identities of DOJ employees involved in the Trump case. The DOJ had previously declined to release the names, citing concerns about invasion of personal privacy.
Efforts to undermine Smith’s credibility have included highlighting his alleged involvement in the Lois Lerner IRS scandal targeting conservative charity groups when he directed the Justice Department’s public integrity branch. Trump’s personal assistant Walt Nauta, who was also indicted in the classified materials case, accused Jay Bratt, another prosecutor in Smith’s office, of misconduct. Gilbert, a local prosecutor on Smith’s team, resigned from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2009 following unethical behavior.
A spokesperson for Make America Great Again Inc. criticized the indictment of President Trump as coming from “far-left prosecutors” and questioned the integrity of Smith and Gilbert. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida declined to comment further, referring to Smith’s previous statement emphasizing the talent, experience, and integrity of the prosecutors in his office.