Jack Smith subpoenaed for closed-door testimony before House committee in probe of Trump prosecutions - CBS News
Category: News & Politics
Via: vic-eldred • 11 months ago • 37 commentsBy: Melissa Quinn (CBSPolitics)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Washington — Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, issued a subpoena Wednesday to former special counsel Jack Smith as part of the committee's probe into the federal prosecutions of President Trump.
Jordan wrote in a letter to Smith and his lawyers that the panel wants him to answer questions from House investigators at a closed-door deposition on Dec. 17 and requested documents that must be turned over by Dec. 12. It's unclear what records Jordan, an Ohio Republican, is seeking from Smith.
"The Committee on the Judiciary is continuing to conduct oversight of the operations of the Office of Special Counsel you led — specifically, your team's prosecutions of President Donald J. Trump and his co-defendants," he wrote. "Due to your service as Special Counsel, the Committee believes that you possess information that is vital to its oversight of this matter."
Peter Koski, a lawyer for Smith, indicated that the former special counsel will comply with Jordan's subpoena. He noted that the former special counsel had offered back in October to voluntarily answer questions in an open hearing before the Judiciary Committee about the investigations involving Mr. Trump.
"We are disappointed that offer was rejected, and that the American people will be denied the opportunity to hear directly from Jack on these topics," he said. "Jack looks forward to meeting with the committee later this month to discuss his work and clarify the various misconceptions about his investigation."
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, accused Republicans and the Trump administration of mounting a "coordinated campaign to smear" Smith and his team for their investigation into Mr. Trump and his allies related to their alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
"Chairman Jordan has denied Special Counsel Jack Smith's offer to speak publicly to the whole Congress and the whole country about his investigations into Donald Trump, instead demanding he comply with a subpoena for a closed-door, private session simply so Republicans can spin, distort, and cherry-pick his remarks through press leaks," he said in a statement. "What are our colleagues so afraid of, that they won't let the American people hear directly from the Special Counsel?
Raskin, of Maryland, said Smith followed the proper legal principles, protocols and guidelines throughout his probe and took "careful investigative steps."
"Judiciary Committee Republicans want to force the Special Counsel into the shadows of a backroom interrogation and subject him to the tiresome and loathsome partisan tactics of leak-and-distort, when the American public is demanding transparency and a public hearing," he said.
The GOP-led Judiciary Committee is investigating what it claims were the "politically motivated" prosecutions of Mr. Trump, which were led by Smith. The president was indicted on more than 40 federal charges in two separate cases. The first alleged he unlawfully held onto government documents marked classified after leaving the White House in 2021, and the second stemmed from his alleged efforts to subvert the transfer of power after the 2020 election.
The president has long denied wrongdoing and claimed Smith's investigations were politically motivated "witch hunts" that intended to harm his candidacy for the White House.
Both cases were brought to an end after Mr. Trump won a second term in November 2024.
Still, with the president back in office and Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress, Smith has become a subject of investigations from GOP lawyers and the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency that is unrelated to Smith's former position as special counsel. Mr. Trump has also continued to attack Smith, calling him "deranged" and a "criminal."
His lawyers called the ethics probe by the Office of the Special Counsel "imaginary and unfounded."
Smith resigned from the Justice Department before Mr. Trump was inaugurated in January, but provided a two-volume final report on his investigations involving Mr. Trump to then-Attorney General Merrick Garland before leaving his post.
The first volume pertains to the investigation that stemmed from alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and it was submitted to Congress in mid-January. But the second volume, which covers Mr. Trump's handling of sensitive government documents, has not been made public.
Garland said in January that he would not release the second volume of Smith's final report because a criminal case involving two of Mr. Trump's co-defendants was ongoing. But after Mr. Trump began his second term, the case against the two, aide Walt Nauta and former Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliveira, was tossed out.
But a federal prosecutor in Miami and Mr. Trump's personal lawyers continue to argue that the second volume should be kept out of public view.
Jacob Rosen contributed to this report.
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Oh yes, let's depose him and then bring in the evidence and witnesses.
If all the facts of this case were made public, do you actually believe this would be good for Trump?
I fully endorse opening the Jan 6 and classified documents indictments and for full disclosure of ALL the evidence, cited case law, etc.
Make it all public. Broadcast the hearing live.
Hell, conduct an actual trial. That would be perfect.
So let's do this!
and we know they can't, as most of Trumps' supporters are currently in the dark about the extent of the evidence that proves just how GUILTY POS 47 Trump N Cump are !
one maga child molester in congress rushing to protect his fellow maga child molester in the white house ...
Is that supposed to be a true response? Jordan is a child molester?? Tom Cotton is a child molester??
Wow.
What are the Republicans afraid of?
EVERYTHING
The truth.
And what "truth" would that be? That the Democrats fabricated the "Russia Hoax"? That they were the cause of the "riot" on January 6th?
If republicans are afraid of the truth, why are they calling in Biden admin folks to get to the bottom of the....truth?
Why did they reject the open hearing?:
They're not, they're going on a vindictive partisan witch hunt in an attempt to squash any dissent. Republicans don't want the truth in public; they want to control their version of truth which is saturated in self-serving lies and gaslighting.
Maybe you were born in 2025 and don't remember the past 4 years before that.
Hell, even some of the leftists are going public and saying they will go on a .....wait for it.....vindictive partisan witch hunt......when Trump is out of office.
I wish the DOJ would bring in all of them, file charges and put their asses in prison, ala Steve Bannon.
Nazis gotta Nazi huh? SMH...
Is that a word your handlers told you to use.
If you have been paying attention, the democrat use of that word incessantly during the last presidential campaign got them Donald Trump as their president.
Feels good, doesn't it?
Yet they released the documents showing "Russia Collusion" was fabricated by the Democrats the whole way up to Obama. That the protest on 6 January was helped along by Democrats. That every "investigation" into the current POTUS was, just as you stated:
And during all that - you said nothing! Reality is you celebrated.
Your thoughts on J D Vance's assessment and use of that word...?
It was useless and not of value and I believe he got called out on it from the right.
No one has ever called out a leftist for using the word.
Most of them thrive on that kind of language.
I see you have nothing of any intelligence to add to a conversation and felt the childish need to resort to name calling.
Isn't that exactly what they did when he won the election in 2016 too?
It's call precedent.
These leftists have no say in what Republicans do when their little buddies did the exact same thing for 10 years.
Yeah, they don't get that. You've seen it. They will cry, deflect and start with the name calling when precedent is pointed out.
Just like Jr. High kids in the school yard.
Try the CoC on that one -
Labeling and/or creative name-calling of entire political groups, ideological, religious, cultural, sexual identity / orientation, etc. groups (i.e. Rethuglicans, Libtards, etc), is forbidden. Phrases meant to denigrate are not allowed (e.g. ‘your ilk’).
The Dems/Libs need to look into their mirrors - they will truly see who is doing what "vindictively".
They know and are doing everything they can to get eyes off their corruption.
I have a feeling some high profile dems are going to be indicted for fraud and or corruption with the Minn fraud stuff.
They act like they didn't know....but they had to.
I believe it was determined that "thumpers" was also included in that list, but......it
s (D)ifferent when they do it.
I didn't think of it that way.
Smith resigned as special counsel and is under investigation by the Office of Special Counsel for possible Hatch Act violations. A federal judge did temporarily block the release of the final report from Smith's investigation into Donald Trump , citing concerns about trial fairness and the potential for leaked confidential information.
what is your point ?
Let someone else figure it out for you.
The irony
In other words you dont have a point.
I think what he's saying is that it's in plain English and he's not going to break it down for you.
He posted something that is nothing but MAGA talking points. I hope he knows more about Trumps attempt to steal the election than you do.
I thought you were an expert on those.
And we are back to unproven nonsense.
The wheels turn slowly. Smith was arguing for open testimony early this last summer. But even a Special Counsel should understand the difference between a deposition and hearing testimony. Yes, they're similar but not quite the same.
At this point what will be accomplished by this bit of political theater? Ohio's redistricting may have made some changes to Jim Jordan's district (I don't know) but his seat should still be safe. Jack Smith is stale news that can't compete with or distract from the more pressing issues. (It's the economy, stupid.)