By Blessing Nweke
Former special counsel Jack Smith will publicly testify before the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee on January 22, Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) announced Monday night, marking a significant escalation in congressional scrutiny of Smith’s work investigating President Donald Trump.
Smith’s scheduled 10 a.m. ET hearing comes about a month after he appeared for a more than eight-hour closed-door deposition with the committee in December concerning his role in prosecuting Trump. In that private session, Smith defended his investigations of the then-former president, saying the basis for the prosecutions “rests entirely with President Trump and his actions,” and asserting prosecutors developed evidence that could prove Trump’s conduct “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Smith had requested a public hearing before his initial testimony, but Republican leadership opted for the closed deposition format. His legal team, led by attorney Lanny Breuer, said Monday night that Smith “welcomes the opportunity to defend his probes into Trump,” noting his readiness to answer questions in a public forum on both the 2020 election subversion and classified documents cases.
House Judiciary Committee top Democrat Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) praised the planned open testimony as a victory for transparency, criticizing the earlier private session and saying the public hearing could undercut Republican efforts to discredit Smith. Raskin said the move represented a “win for truth-seeking Americans” and predicted difficulties for Trump and his allies.
Smith’s earlier work as special counsel led to two major indictments against Trump — one regarding alleged mishandling of classified documents and another tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Trump has persistently denied wrongdoing, calling the probes politically motivated “witch hunts,” and has repeatedly called for Smith’s prosecution since returning to office. A federal judge later dismissed the classified documents case on procedural grounds, and prosecutors dropped the election case after Trump’s 2024 election victory, consistent with Justice Department policy.
The Jan. 22 hearing is expected to attract intense political attention as lawmakers from both parties question Smith’s decisions and legal rationale in a rare public forum.
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