(Headline USA) A House Republican said he plans to introduce a bill this week that would defund the prosecutions of former President Donald Trump and any other presidential candidate ahead of the 2024 election.
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., said the measure will be part of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, which is one of 12 spending bills Congress must pass ahead of Sept. 30 to avoid a government shutdown.
He blasted the four indictments of Trump as “election interference” and argued government officials should not be able to use taxpayer funds to advance a political prosecution.
“Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars have no place funding the radical Left’s nefarious election interference efforts,” Clyde said in a statement.
“These bogus charges are undoubtedly intended to smear and take down President Trump, as well as hinder his ability to campaign effectively,” Clyde added. “This overt election interference continues to undermine both our Republic and our fair system of justice.”
It is “imperative” that Congress use its legislative power to “protect the integrity of elections,” he continued.
“The American people get to decide who wins the White House—not Deep State actors who have shamelessly attacked Donald Trump since he announced his first bid in 2015,” he said.
A few other Republicans have introduced similar proposals. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said she will introduce an amendment to specifically defund special counsel Jack Smith’s office, and Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., introduced a bill this month that would defund Smith’s federal salary.
The House Freedom Caucus has issued similar demands during debate over the appropriations bill, calling on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and other Republican leaders to address the “unprecedented weaponization” of the Justice Department in the spending bill. Otherwise, the members vowed not to support it.
Republican leadership has not yet said whether it will support such an effort.
