Help keep Salon independent

Ron DeSantis says he plans to fire Jack Smith if elected

During a recent interview, DeSantis accused Smith of "weaponizing the legal system"

Senior Culture Editor

Published

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to a crowd at the North Charleston Coliseum on April 19, 2023 in North Charleston, South Carolina. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to a crowd at the North Charleston Coliseum on April 19, 2023 in North Charleston, South Carolina. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

In addition to their one primary shared interest — a burning desire to win the 2024 presidential election — Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump have something else in common, a deep dislike of Special Counsel Jack Smith. 

In an interview with Fox News' Jason Chaffetz on Thursday, DeSantis detailed his goal for his first days in office, should he land there, saying, "After you win the election, start holding these people accountable who have weaponized the legal system to go after their political enemies. And that starts with day one, firing somebody like Jack Smith."    

As The Messenger points out, DeSantis has established a pattern of criticizing Smith's indictments, specifically pertaining to their focus on the events of the Jan. 6 insurrection and what Trump did or didn't have to do with it.

"If the election is not about Jan. 20, 2025, but Jan. 6, 2021, or what document was left by the toilet at Mar-a-Lago, if it’s a referendum on that, we are going to lose," he said back in August. 

Watch here:

By Kelly McClure

Kelly McClure is Salon's Senior Culture Editor, where she helps further coverage of TV, film, music, books and culture trends from a unique and thoughtful angle. Her work has also appeared in Vulture, Vanity Fair, Vice and many other outlets that don't start with the letter V. She is the author of one sad book called "Something Is Always Happening Somewhere." Follow her on Bluesky: @WolfieVibes

MORE FROM Kelly McClure

Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Related Articles