By Emmanuel Bobby
Former special counsel Jack Smith is set to testify in a public hearing before the House Judiciary Committee next week, according to an announcement Monday night by Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
The hearing, scheduled for Jan. 22, follows more than eight hours of closed-door testimony Smith gave to the Republican-led committee in December about his investigations into President Donald Trump. Smith had requested that his earlier testimony be held publicly, but Republicans declined at the time.
Smith’s attorney, Lanny Breuer, said Monday that his client welcomes the opportunity to address lawmakers in an open forum.
“Jack has been clear for months that 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,” Breuer said in a statement.
The public appearance comes after the Judiciary Committee released a 255-page transcript and more than eight hours of video from Smith’s December deposition. In that testimony, Smith told lawmakers he believed he could prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump participated in a “criminal scheme” to overturn the 2020 election results.
Smith also said Trump was “the most culpable” individual in the election interference case and accused him of having “repeatedly tried to obstruct justice” in the classified documents investigation.
House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., criticized Republicans for initially forcing Smith to testify behind closed doors, arguing that a public hearing should have happened from the start.
“Even with many hours of private testimony, Republicans could not lay a glove on Jack Smith, his evidence, or his case,” Raskin said in a statement. “That will not change now that they have finally heeded our call to have him come testify publicly. This upcoming hearing is a win for truth-seeking Americans.”
Trump, who returned to office last year, has repeatedly called for Smith to be prosecuted.
Smith oversaw two major federal investigations into Trump, leading to separate indictments over Trump’s handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Trump has denied any wrongdoing, dismissing both cases as politically motivated “witch hunts.”
The classified documents case was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, who ruled that Smith’s appointment was unlawful. Smith later dropped the election interference case after Trump’s 2024 election victory, citing long-standing Justice Department policy that bars the prosecution of a sitting president.
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