Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) raised an important question on Wednesday. Why is special counsel Jack Smith so determined to bring former President Donald Trump to trial ahead of the November election?

Gaetz asked that Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael Horowitz investigate the rush to drag the Republican frontrunner into court. To many observers — and not only Republicans — the crusade reeks of election interference.

BREAKING: Today I’m demanding the DOJ Inspector General Horowitz to investigate the election interference against President Donald J. Trump by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

The witch hunt against President Trump by Attorney General Garland and Special Counsel Smith is a partisan… pic.twitter.com/v5Ysg108BE

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) March 6, 2024

In a statement, the firebrand Republican blasted the ongoing persecution of Trump as simply a matter of politics.

Gaetz wrote, “The witch hunt against President Trump by Attorney General Garland and Special Counsel Smith is a partisan exercise, and the American people know it. The actions of the Special Counsel Smith to speed up the trial against President Trump violate the DOJ’s rules.”

Gaetz said that illogically rushing Trump into court before the election also violates the law.

Smith extolled the U.S. Supreme Court in December to hasten their decision on whether Trump is entitled to the traditional presidential immunity afforded each other chief executive. The special counsel pleaded that the case had “public importance.”

What he did not state but is obvious to any honest observer is that the case holds “importance” to the Biden Justice Department. It is clear that the goal is to secure a conviction of the former president before November.

Gaetz said as much, writing that Smith’s public comments and office briefs before the high court revealed his desire to “unlawfully interfere” with the coming presidential election.

There is an unwritten policy generally adhered to within the DOJ that prohibits prosecutors from acting in a way that could be perceived as interfering with an election within 60 days of the event.

Though November is clearly beyond 60 days away, Gaetz believes there is a pressing need for that rule to be applied to Trump. He noted, “it is indisputable that we are already in an election season.”

Gaetz further wrote that a prosecutor should not conduct official action to affect an election. He added that “wielding Executive Branch authority in the service of this is a violation of law.”

The Republican correctly declared that federal prosecutors need to be “held to a higher standard.”