House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, sent a letter to a prosecutor on special counsel Jack Smith's team, inviting him to sit for an interview with the panel, which wants to inquire about his "unethical conduct" in the prosecution of Donald Trump in the classified documents case in Florida.
Specifically, Jordan and committee Republicans are interested in the three White House meetings that prosecutor Jay Bratt took at the White House prior to the indictment of the former president in South Florida.
"You have been closely involved with the investigation and prosecution of President Trump," the letter read. "You have engaged in a series of improper actions and unethical conduct that violate the Department's duty to impartial justice."
At issue for Jordan and Republicans are the three meetings that Bratt took at the White House — in September 2021, November 2021, and March 2023. The meetings follow a pattern of prosecutors of Trump taking meetings at the White House ahead of Trump trials. Republicans don't find it to be a coincidence.
"This new information raises serious concerns regarding the potential for a coordinated effort between the Department and the White House to investigate and prosecute President Biden's political opponents," Jordan said in his letters to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and White House chief of staff Jeff Zients last August.
In Thursday's letter to Bratt, Jordan said the meetings raise "at the least, a perception of improper coordination."
Also at issue for Jordan is a claim made by an attorney for one of Trump's co-defendants in the classified documents case. In a filing last August, attorney Stanley Woodward said he and Bratt talked about a potential judge appointment for the prosecutor. Woodward at the time was nominated for a spot with the Judicial Nomination Commission, The Hill reported.
"Mr. Bratt followed up with words to the effect of 'I wouldn't want to do anything to mess that up,'" Woodward said in his filing. Smith's team countered that it was brought up by Bratt as a matter of "professional courtesy" and nothing more than a case of "confusion" about details, according to the report.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has indefinitely postponed the start of the classified documents case. Hearings are set for later this month to begin addressing myriad legal issues posed by Trump's defense team.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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