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President Donald Trump has filed a motion to hold Special Counsel Jack Smith in contempt of court after a previous stay on the Washington, D.C.-based federal case against the president.
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung stated, “Smith was ordered to not take any further action in the trial court until the Presidential Immunity issue is resolved, which should be a full dismissal of this ‘case’ because President Trump was carrying out his duty as President to investigate the Rigged and Stolen 2020 Presidential Election.”
The filing’s introduction explained that the stay order was “clear, straightforward, and unambiguous.” Per The Hill, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan placed a stay on “further proceedings” until the ongoing legal battle over whether Trump legally had presidential immunity from criminal liability while in office in 2020 was resolved.
Cheung continued, “Rather than respect the rule of law, Jack Smith unilaterally decided to disobey the stay order and continue with his harassing litigation, all done in order to keep parroting the pathetic Biden Campaign’s corrupt talking points in the name of election interference.”
Via The Hill’s report, Smith and prosecutors have pursued activity in the case regardless of the stay order, including asking the U.S. Supreme Court to look at the immunity dispute.
Trump’s filing against Smith included a lengthy list of allegations against Smith, challenging the court to prove why the special counsel should not be held in contempt of court.
The filing’s conclusion argued, “The prosecutors have cast these hallowed mandates aside to score cheap political points against President Trump on behalf of the Biden Campaign. In so doing, the prosecutors have repeatedly and willfully disregarded the Court’s explicit instructions. Such malignant conduct undermines the integrity of this proceeding and warrants severe sanction.”
The president also asked for compensation for attorney fees and costs to file the motion, noting that the request was “quite modest” and that doing so would at least “signal that their continued violations will not come without cost.”