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Last month, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to investigate former President Trump regarding the classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate and his actions relating to the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Veteran federal prosecutor Jack Smith will lead the investigation of the 45th president.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Congresswoman from Georgia, says that when GOP leader Kevin McCarthy takes the role of Speaker of the House in January, he will reinstate a House rule that will put an end to the investigation.
The Congresswoman tweeted,
“Holman Rule.
Look it up!
@GOPLeader is going to put it in place.
That means no money for Garland’s politically weaponized Special Counsel.
Don’t promise too many jobs!
Whoops defunded.”
The Holman Rule was introduced to the House in 1876 and is not very well-known.
It allows members of Congress to propose amendments to appropriations bills that single out specific programs or persons.
Critics of the House rule say it opens up the possibility of unethically targetting individuals, government agencies, and programs for political purposes.
They further point out that it gives the House appropriations “too much power and could potentially paralyze the federal government.”
From a Political Playbook report on Garland’s move:
Attorney General MERRICK GARLAND’s decision to name a special counsel to helm DONALD TRUMP-related probes at the Justice Department roiled the political world on Friday. In an afternoon statement delivered before cameras at Main Justice, Garland argued the appointment of veteran DOJ hand JACK SMITH was necessary given that Trump and JOE BIDEN could be facing off for the presidency in 2024.
Garland said, “Such an appointment underscores the department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters.”
If the Republicans bring the Holman Rule back in January, it would be the second time since 1983.
It was reinstated in 2017, but rescinded in 2019 when Democrats took control of the House.
If the new majority in the House manages success in reinstating the rule and passes a related amendment in the next Congress, President Biden would still need to sign the attached legislation.
A political science professor at George Washington University’s Columbian College of Arts and Science, told Newsweek that it’s not likely that Republicans would be able to defund the investigation.
She said, “It’s not clear to me that Republicans would get 218 votes to pass the bill in the first place.”
“Even if the House succeeded, I doubt a Democratic-led Senate would agree to a spending bill that defunds Department of Justice personnel conducting lawful investigations.”
The professor also said that she doubts “Senate GOP leaders would necessarily back their House colleagues’ efforts.”
Trump called the investigation “the worst politicization of justice in our country” in an interview with Fox News Digital.
The former president said that he would not “partake” in the probe.
