House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan (R., Ky.) is compelling former special counsel Jack Smith to testify behind closed doors about his criminal prosecutions of President Trump.
Jordan subpoenaed Smith Wednesday to have him testify at a deposition on December 17 and provide documents to the committee ahead of the interview.
“Due to your service as Special Counsel, the Committee believes that you possess information that is vital to its oversight of this matter,” Jordan said in a letter accompanying the subpoena.
The subpoena to have Smith testify privately comes after Smith requested a public hearing to dispel what he considers Republican misconceptions about his cases against Trump. Smith’s lawyers expressed disappointment that he will not be testifying publicly and said they will work with the committee nonetheless.
Smith prosecuted Trump in Washington, D.C., on charges related to Trump’s involvement in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, a case that has faced significant scrutiny from congressional Republicans because of the investigative steps the Biden Justice Department took to build it up.
The FBI’s investigation into Trump and the broader GOP’s role in January 6, known as “Arctic Frost,” began in 2022 and evolved into Smith’s D.C. case against Trump. House and Senate Republicans have been conducting investigations into the scope of “Arctic Frost” because the investigation targeted numerous Republican lawmakers, organizations, and operatives.
Jordan was one of the investigation’s first targets. In 2022, the Biden administration subpoenaed two years of Jordan’s phone records and obtained a non-disclosure order to prevent him from finding out about it. Jordan released records documenting the Biden administration’s actions as part of his investigation into the role Verizon and AT&T played in “Arctic Frost.”
Senators Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) and Ron Johnson (R., Wisc.) have led the congressional efforts to reveal details about “Arctic Frost.” FBI director Kash Patel has cooperated with the Senators to further their investigation. Earlier this year, Patel fired agents involved with “Arctic Frost” and shuttered the anti-corruption unit in D.C. responsible for carrying it out.
Smith’s D.C. case against Trump led to the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling granting the president criminal immunity for official acts. The extensive litigation prevented the case from going to trial before the 2024 election.
In addition to the D.C. case, Smith unsuccessfully prosecuted Trump for allegedly mishandling classified documents in Florida. A Trump-appointed judge in Florida threw out the case after finding Smith was illegally appointed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022.
Smith ended his appeal in Florida and folded the Washington, D.C., case after Trump won the 2024 presidential election resoundingly. Smith resigned rather than giving Trump the pleasure of firing him. Trump and Republicans have regularly accused Smith of weaponizing the federal government against Trump for partisan purposes.
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