Washington, D.C. — This week, Rep. Andrew Clyde (GA-09) penned an op-ed in The Blaze explaining how Congress can protect the integrity of the 2024 election through the ongoing appropriations process.

Congressman Clyde recently announced that he intends to offer two amendments to the FY24 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bill to prohibit the use of federal funding for the prosecution of any major presidential candidate prior to the 2024 election.

Read Rep. Clyde's op-ed below or in The Blaze HERE.

How Congress Can Protect the Integrity of the 2024 Election 

Our constitutional republic is in crisis.

Throughout the last eight years, liberals across the country have sought to smear Donald Trump and silence his supporters. Yet after exhausting all options to no avail, Democrats are now abandoning their previous playbook of cheap tricks, instead opting for their most sinister scheme to date.

Rather than besmirching his name in the press, pushing a fictitious Russian collusion narrative, or pursuing yet another sham impeachment, their latest effort is far more perverse.

In just four months’ time, Democrats have weaponized our justice system to gin up four criminal indictments against President Trump across four jurisdictions — totaling 91 bogus charges. The stakes are significantly higher under this stunt, as Trump’s fate rests in the hands of three liberal prosecutors and four hand-picked juries.

By design, the ultimate goal of this nefarious strategy is to place President Trump behind bars to prevent him from serving the American people again. The road to this political persecution plot is paved with a string of court dates, which conveniently coincide with major events during the busy primary season. So regardless of the eventual outcome, the process becomes the punishment.

If this isn’t election interference, then I don’t know what is.

Americans are rightfully upset. No matter one’s views of Trump, attempting to use the power of prosecution to take down a political rival sets a perilous precedent for our nation.

Understandably, the American people are sick and tired of all talk and no action.

Given this grave miscarriage of justice unfolding before our very eyes, who can blame their outrage? It’s time to eliminate this corruption in order to protect the integrity of the 2024 election — a feat that only Congress can accomplish.

Special counsel Jack Smith, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis all receive federal funding. But Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars have no place funding politically motivated prosecutions.

Our Founders gave Congress control of the purse strings to provide a critical check on the executive branch. Yet when the chief executive and his allies weaponize the judicial branch to crush his top political foe, using the power of the purse is our only viable option to deliver meaningful accountability. There is simply too much to lose for members of Congress to silently watch this travesty proceed without putting up a fight.

Therefore, during the ongoing appropriations process, I intend to offer two amendments to prohibit federal funds from being used to prosecute any candidate for president of the United States before the 2024 election. One amendment bars funding for federal prosecutions, while the second bars federal funds to any entity that prosecutes at the state or local level.

Opponents already have cried foul, labeling my efforts as “obstruction of justice.” Yet this criticism is misguided, as my amendments wouldn’t defund ongoing or future investigative efforts. Investigations may proceed, but taxpayer dollars certainly will not contribute to any prosecutions.

Regardless of our political stripes or preferred candidate, we can all agree that the American people are the ones who get to decide who resides in the White House. Prohibiting the prosecution of President Trump — or any other presidential candidate for that matter — simply ensures that Americans do not have their voices unjustly removed from this process by a weaponized justice system.

But this is not a one-person battle. I’m calling on my House colleagues to join me in taking a stand against taxpayer-funded election interference.

As we forge ahead to fulfill our duty of responsibly funding the government, we must include these two amendments to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill to restore Americans’ faith in our government, dismantle our nation’s two-tiered system of justice, and protect the integrity of our elections. Failure to do so will have profound impacts on the future of our great republic.

U.S. Representative Andrew Clyde represents Georgia’s 9th Congressional District and serves on the House Appropriations Committee.