Smith to appear before House Judiciary panel on Jan. 22
Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith will testify publicly next week about his investigations into President Donald Trump, according to Rep. Jim Jordan and a spokesman for Smith.
Jordan, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News Channel in an interview Monday night that Smith would appear before the committee on Jan. 22. A spokesman for Smith confirmed the committee hearing on Tuesday.
Jordan said Smith would be “a tough witness,” adding that the panel would “present the facts.” He also said the hearing would “show that Jack Smith was part of this bigger effort” to bring down Trump.
Smith has already appeared before the committee behind closed doors, and a transcript of that private deposition was released. In that transcript, Smith told lawmakers last month that the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol “does not happen” without Trump. He also pushed back at a characterization that his investigations were intended to hamper Trump’s 2024 bid to return to the presidency.
“So in terms of why we would pursue a case against him, I entirely disagree with any characterization that our work was in any way meant to hamper him in the presidential election,” Smith said, according to the transcript.
Appointment and past cases
Smith was appointed special counsel in November 2022 by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The special counsel led investigations into Trump’s handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election after Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Those investigations resulted in indictments, which were later abandoned after Trump won the presidency in November 2024.
Smith cited Justice Department legal opinions that bar the indictment of a sitting president as the basis for abandoning the cases.
Lawyer says Smith will answer questions publicly
As the public hearing was being discussed, Smith’s lawyer Lanny Breuer said Smith was ready to participate. Breuer said in a statement last week that “Jack has been clear for months he is ready and willing to answer questions in a public hearing about his investigations into President Trump’s alleged unlawful efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his mishandling of classified documents.”
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and said the Justice Department was weaponized against him while he pursued a return to the White House.