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FIRST ON FOX: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, on Tuesday asked former special counsel Jack Smith to sit down for an interview about what he called Smith’s “partisan and politically motivated” prosecution of President Donald Trump.
Jordan asked Smith in a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital to schedule closed-door testimony with his committee by Oct. 28. The move comes at the same time that congressional Republicans have raised alarms over the recent revelation that Smith subpoenaed the phone records of sitting senators.
“As the Committee continues its oversight, your testimony is necessary to understand the extent to which the Biden-Harris Justice Department has militarized federal law enforcement,” Jordan wrote.
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Special Counsel Jack Smith delivers remarks on a newly unsealed indictment including four counts against President Donald Trump at the Department of Justice August 1, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Jordan’s request comes as Republicans intensify their focus on Smith, who brought criminal charges against Trump during the 2020 election and classified documents but later dropped them because of a Justice Department policy that advises against prosecuting sitting presidents.
The request to appear for an interview marks the first time Congress has summoned Smith after the former special counsel spent more than two years investigating and prosecuting Trump. The president repeatedly called Smith “deranged,” a “thug” and “sleazy” and said Smith was a “criminal” who should be arrested.
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House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan listens during a hearing on Capitol Hill July 20, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Jordan also asked Smith for all documents relating to his Trump-related work. If Smith were to resist requests for interviews and documents, Jordan could subpoena him. Fox News Digital has reached out to Smith’s attorneys for comment.
The Senate is also intensifying its scrutiny of Smith. Last week, 18 Senate Republicans, led by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, demanded that the DOJ and FBI release documents about Smith’s decision to subpoena the phone companies for the long distance records of eight Senate Republicans, documents that could be protected by grand jury rules.
Donald Trump and Special Advisor Jack Smith appear in a photograph side by side. (Fox News Digital)
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The senators said they had “serious constitutional concerns” about the subpoenas and that the DOJ should ask the courts to unseal the records if necessary. Searching toll records is a routine part of an investigation and helps track when calls were made and to whom. They do not provide any details about the content of the phone calls or messages.
Jordan called the subpoenas, and his recent discovery that the FBI monitored Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., before seizing his phone, “improper surveillance.”
