Republicans come for Donald Trump's aid as 3 GOP lawmakers set to make amendments to defund Jack Smith

WASHINGTON, DC: House GOP negotiators did not include funding for Special Counsel Jack Smith in the Justice Department spending bill for the following year, but supporters of former President Donald Trump are already preparing to ram it into the final draft. 

A minimum of three members of the House of Representatives intend to present modifications to the Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) appropriations bill that would indirectly target the prosecutions against Trump, Fox News reports.

Representative Andrew Clyde will file 'amendment to prohibit taxpayer dollars from funding the prosecution'

Representative Andrew Clyde, R-Ga, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said he was disappointed that his policy targeting Trump’s prosecutions was not included in the base text but that he would be offering it as an amendment later in the legislative process.

"When we have our full House Appropriations Committee markup for CJS next month, I will file my amendment to prohibit taxpayer dollars from funding the prosecution of a presidential candidate before the 2024 election. This measure would impact Fani Willis, Alvin Bragg, and Jack Smith, as they all receive federal funds," Clyde said.

Marjorie Taylor Greene allegedly intends to file an amendment 

One of Trump's most vocal House allies, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga, is expected to file an amendment akin to the one she previously introduced that would have prohibited funding for special counsels, according to a source close to the lawmaker who spoke to the outlet. 

Greene declared on Tuesday night, June 25, that the House GOP's decision to leave Smith's funding in the bill's original language was a "failure." Trump ally Representative Andy Ogles, R-Tenn, also plans to introduce an amendment stripping Smith's funding, his office told Fox News.

The CJS appropriations bill cuts the Justice Department's funding

The Justice Department's funding is reduced by almost $1 billion in the CJS appropriations bill which was unveiled on Tuesday, June 25. The budget of the FBI is also being cut by about 3.5% and the establishment of a new bureau headquarters in Maryland is prohibited.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan hinted he would push for cuts to the Donald Trump investigations

Jim Jordan, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, also hinted that he would push for the CJS bill to include cutbacks to the Trump investigations in Georgia and New York. 

Earlier this month, Jordan sent a letter to House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla, recommending that the spending bill "include language to eliminate federal funding for state prosecutors or state attorneys general involved in lawfare and to zero out federal funding for federal prosecutors engaged in such abuse."

Speaker Mike Johnson's represetnative about the amendment push

A spokeswoman for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told Fox News when asked about the amendment push, "The Committee is working to methodically mark up appropriations bills and work through its process. The Speaker looks forward to seeing what comes out of Committee and continuing to move bills through a full floor process."

Mike Johnson said the House needed a more permanent solution

Johnson stated that the House required a more long-term solution for accountability in response to a question from CNN on Tuesday night concerning the lack of actions aimed at Smith. 

"We've got to bring accountability because that's the role of Congress under the Constitution. The question is, what's the best and most effective way to do that? So there's a lot of thoughtful discussion and debate. The underlying bill doesn't have the provision in, but there may be amendments," he said. "We have to look at what is actually a lawmaking exercise and not just a messaging exercise, because the times are too important."

Mike Johnson said the House would not attempt to remove Smith from his position

Johnson informed Politico last month that during this appropriations process, the House would not attempt to remove Smith from his position.

He said, "There is a necessity for a function like that, because sometimes the Department of Justice — which is an executive branch agency — can’t necessarily, without a conflict of interest, investigate or prosecute the president who’s their boss, or the president’s family."

But a week later, he told reporters that Congress could target special counsel funding. Outside the Manhattan courthouse where Trump's criminal proceeding was taking place, Johnson said, "How does Congress correct that error and ensure that a special counsel is not abusing their authority? You know, we have oversight, of course, we also have the power of the purse."

On Wednesday, June 25, a panel on the House Appropriations Committee began weighing the CJS appropriations bill. A vote on the bill is anticipated to take place throughout the chamber at some point next month.

However, even if the bill's amendments criticizing Trump's prosecutions are included, it is unlikely that the Democratic-controlled Senate, which is drafting its own versions of the fiscal year 2025 appropriations bills, will take them up.