Top inves­ti­ga­tor in Biden-era elec­tion probe want­ed to tear key con­sti­tu­tion­al right away from law­mak­ers

New­ly uncov­ered doc­u­ments reveal that one of for­mer spe­cial coun­sel Jack Smith’s top deputies advo­cat­ed for repeal­ing a key con­sti­tu­tion­al pro­tec­tion for lawmakers.“I’m an advo­cate for repeal­ing the clause but absent that, we’re stuck with it and the way it’s been inter­pret­ed,” JP Cooney, who served as Smith’s prin­ci­pal deputy pros­e­cu­tor, wrote in a 2021 exchange first obtained by the Wash­ing­ton Exam­in­er. He was speak­ing with Mol­ly Gas­ton, anoth­er pros­e­cu­tor who would go on to join Smith, about the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause.The Speech or Debate Clause of the Con­sti­tu­tion pro­tects mem­bers of Co …