Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said Wednesday it’s possible he could call Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith, who led the federal prosecutions into President-elect Donald Trump, to testify.
"Everything’s on the table," Jordan told reporters, according to Politico. "I’m just now looking at his report."
Jordan is referring to a report the DOJ released Tuesday that provides details of the investigation Smith conducted into allegations that Trump tried to subvert the results of the 2020 election, which Trump has vehemently denied. Smith, who resigned from the DOJ earlier this month, also led the prosecution against Trump over his handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Jordan has argued that Smith’s efforts were politicized — which Smith denied in his report — and has signaled that he wants to hear from the special counsel, according to Politico.
Now that Smith’s report has been released and he has resigned from the DOJ, he is free to testify in front of Jordan’s committee. Robert Hur, the special counsel who investigated President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents, testified in front of Congress after he was finished and released his report.
Smith dropped both cases following Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in November, citing a longstanding DOJ rule against prosecuting sitting presidents. The election interference case was damaged by the Supreme Court’s ruling last year that presidents have immunity from prosecution for some actions taken while in office.
The classified documents case was tossed out by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled that Smith, a private citizen, was unlawfully appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland. Smith was appealing that ruling.
The report on the classified documents case has not been released, but Attorney General Merrick Garland said he intends to share it with leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary committees, according to Politico.