Former special counsel Jack Smith notified the House and Senate Judiciary Committees on Thursday he would like a public hearing to address the “many mischaracterizations” of his two investigations into President Trump.
The letter from Smith’s attorneys, obtained by Fox News, was sent to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in response to congressional demands that the former special counsel sit for a closed-door interview.
“Given the many mischaracterizations of Mr. Smith’s investigation into President Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents and role in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Mr. Smith respectfully requests the opportunity to testify in open hearings before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees,” Smith’s attorneys wrote.
“During the investigation of President Trump, Mr. Smith steadfastly adhered to established legal standards and Department of Justice guidelines, consistent with his approach throughout his career as a dedicated public servant,” they added.
Smith, however, wants the Justice Department to affirm that he “will not be punished” for testifying, and provide him documents related to the investigations that he no longer has access to.
“He is prepared to answer questions about the Special Counsel’s investigation and prosecution, but requires assurance from the Department of Justice that he will not be punished for doing so,” the lawyers wrote. “To that end, Mr. Smith needs guidance from the Department of Justice regarding federal grand jury secrecy requirements and authorization on the matters he may speak to regarding, among other things, Volume II of the Final Report of the Special Counsel, which is not publicly available.”
“In addition, to provide full and accurate answers to your questions, Mr. Smith requires access to the Special Counsel files, which he no longer has the ability to access.”
Smith’s attorneys informed Jordan and Grassley that the ex-prosecutor would be available to testify in a public hearing ”at your earliest convenience.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, called on Jordan to accept Smith’s offer.
“I can think of no reason to deny the American people the opportunity to hear his testimony, under oath and with questioning from Members of both parties, and to let all Americans judge for themselves the integrity of Mr. Smith’s investigations,” Raskin wrote in a letter to Jordan. “There is no reason his appearance should be in the shadows of a backroom and subject to the usual tiresome partisan tactics of leak-and-distort.”
Grassley said in a statement to The Post that lawmakers must have “all the facts” first, before Smith is allowed to testify publicly.
“Jack Smith certainly has a lot of answering to do, but first, Congress needs to have all the facts at its disposal,” the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman said. “Hearings should follow once the investigative foundation has been firmly set, which is why I’m actively working with the DOJ and FBI to collect all relevant records that Mr. Smith had years to become familiar with.”
Jordan’s office did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The DOJ declined to comment.
In a letter to Smith last week, Jordan described the former special counsel’s investigations as “partisan and politically motivated prosecutions” against Trump.
Jordan argued that Smith’s closed-door testimony is necessary to understand the “full extent to which the Biden-Harris Justice Department weaponized federal law enforcement.”
