Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., on Newsmax Thursday warned that former special counsel Jack Smith is "completely unrepentant" and urged lawmakers to press for more documents ahead of Smith's scheduled testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 22.
Speaking on "Newsline," Johnson said he wants Smith held to a strict standard of truthfulness when he appears before Congress, suggesting lawmakers still lack key information about the scope of Smith's work.
"The truth, the full truth, and nothing but the truth," Johnson said when asked what he expects from Smith's testimony.
Johnson said his concern is that Smith will not be forthcoming, and he argued the committee needs more records before conducting additional interviews or hearings with the former special counsel.
"My concern about Jack Smith right now: He is completely unrepentant," said Johnson.
Johnson said lawmakers remain "pretty much in the dark" about the "full extent" of Smith's investigation, adding that Congress has received too few documents to determine what wrongdoing, if any, occurred.
"We just have not gotten that many documents," Johnson said, calling for more transparency before Congress moves forward with deeper scrutiny.
He said he does not object to the House Judiciary Committee moving forward with questioning Smith.
Johnson also issued a blunt warning about potential consequences if Smith provides false statements under oath.
"He'd better be careful to tell the truth," Johnson said. "He better not perjure himself because once he's testified, my concern is he knows what he did."
Johnson suggested Smith may attempt to avoid direct answers, telling Newsmax he worries Smith could "run circles around committee members" and decline to disclose "the full and complete truth."
Smith had privately testified before the House committee in December, when he defended his investigation into President Donald Trump, telling lawmakers that the basis for the prosecutions "rests entirely with President Trump and his actions."
Smith's December testimony followed months of disclosures from Trump appointees at the Justice Department and Republican lawmakers that criticized Smith's investigation and supported Trump's claims of legal overreach.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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