Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has introduced a bill that aims to prevent state officials and “unelected bureaucrats” from interfering with presidential elections through dubious lawsuits, as reported exclusively by Breitbart News. The Prevention of Election Interference Act of 2024 would prohibit any major presidential candidate from being sentenced in court for the 120 days prior to a general presidential election and the 60 days following an election.
Gaetz’s bill aims to protect the rights of all presidential candidates, regardless of their party affiliation, to campaign without interference during these crucial election periods. Over the past two years, state officials and unelected bureaucrats have been keeping President Trump tied up in court with dubious charges, hampering his ability to campaign across the country, according to Gaetz.
The bill states, “No State, or any officer or instrumentality thereof, may impose or carry out a sentence for a State criminal offense committed by a major party candidate during the covered time period.” In the case of former President Donald Trump’s New York business records case, he decried it as “election interference,” pointing to how the charges were brought up seven years after the alleged incident.
Gaetz also criticizes Special Counsel Jack Smith’s case against Trump for his alleged mishandling of classified documents, claiming that it amounts to election interference. He argues that if the United States Congress cannot stop such interference, then its commitment to preserving the Republic is called into question. The congressman emphasizes the need to “operationalize” these principles by passing legislation like his proposed bill.