Former special prosecutor Jack Smith will be ordered to testify in a public House hearing to repeat answers he previously gave behind closed doors, according to Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan.
Jordan, R-Ohio, told Politico on Friday that he intends to bring Smith in for an open hearing "as soon as this month," setting up what could become one of the most politically charged oversight showdowns of the year.
"He's coming in," Jordan said of the former special counsel who led the federal prosecutions against President Donald Trump.
Smith already sat for more than eight hours in a closed-door deposition with Judiciary Committee members and staff investigators last month.
Jordan released the transcript and video record on New Year's Eve, arguing the public deserves to see Smith answer key questions about his handling of the Trump cases and the broader conduct of what Republicans have long described as a politicized Justice Department under then-President Joe Biden.
Jordan pointed to one question he said became a central takeaway from the deposition: whether Smith had evidence Trump was responsible for the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.
"He had no evidence of that whatsoever," Jordan said, according to Politico, adding that he wants Smith to answer the question again "before live cameras."
The former special prosecutor has argued that while he did not claim Trump directly ordered protesters to breach the Capitol, Trump's conduct helped set the stage for chaos.
Smith's attorneys, meanwhile, have been asking for a public forum.
Lanny Breuer of Covington & Burling said Smith has been clear for months that he is "ready and willing" to answer questions in an open hearing about both the 2020 election case and the classified documents case, Politico previously reported.
The hearing will also revive fresh scrutiny over revelations that Smith's office secretly obtained phone records for Republican lawmakers around the time of Jan. 6 — including for Jordan himself.
Smith admitted judges were not told the subpoenas targeted members of Congress when prosecutors sought non-disclosure orders, saying it was not DOJ policy at the time to identify the targets and arguing secrecy was necessary to avoid a "grave risk of obstruction of justice," the New York Post reported.
Republicans say the episode raises serious constitutional concerns involving the Speech or Debate Clause and the separation of powers.
Smith has insisted the subpoenas were lawful and approved through DOJ channels, but GOP lawmakers argue the lack of transparency to courts underscores how aggressively federal power was deployed against political opponents.
Democrats, though, are welcoming the public spectacle.
Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the committee's top Democrat, said Republicans couldn't "lay a glove" on Smith behind closed doors and predicted an open hearing would only further expose what Democrats call Trump's conduct.
Still, for conservatives, the public hearing offers a rare chance to put the architect of the Trump prosecutions under oath, on camera, and in front of the American people — forcing answers about prosecutorial decisions, secret subpoenas, and whether the justice system was used as a political weapon.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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