At a Glance
- Jack Smith will testify publicly before the House Judiciary Committee on January 22
- Republicans had blocked his earlier request for an open hearing
- Smith previously told lawmakers he could prove Trump led a “criminal scheme” to overturn the 2020 election
- Why it matters: The session will give Americans their first live view of the prosecutor who once stood at the center of two federal indictments against the sitting president.
Jack Smith, the former special counsel who oversaw federal prosecutions of Donald Trump, will face televised questioning next week after months of Republican resistance to a public session.
Committee Sets January 22 Hearing
Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, announced the date late Monday, ending weeks of speculation over when-or if-the GOP majority would yield to Democratic demands for an open forum. The move comes barely three weeks after Smith spent more than eight hours behind closed doors with the same panel.
Smith had asked for a public hearing before that December deposition, but Republicans rebuffed him. His attorney, Lanny Breuer, said the former prosecutor still welcomes the spotlight.
“Jack has been clear for months he is ready and willing to answer questions in a public hearing about his investigations into President Trump’s alleged unlawful efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his mishandling of classified documents,” Breuer said in a statement.
Sarah L. Montgomery reported last week that Jordan intended to issue a public-hearing invitation once lawmakers returned from the holiday recess.
December Deposition Details Released
The committee on December 31 released a 255-page transcript and more than eight hours of video from Smith’s earlier testimony. In that session, Smith told lawmakers he believed he could prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump engaged in a “criminal scheme” to subvert the election results.
Key takeaways from the transcript:
- Trump was “the most culpable” actor in the election interference case
- The former president “repeatedly tried to obstruct justice” in the classified-documents matter
- Smith stood by the legal theories that underpinned both indictments
Democratic Reaction and GOP Strategy
Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the committee’s top Democrat, accused Republicans of trying to hide Smith’s testimony from public view.
“Even with many hours of private testimony, Republicans could not lay a glove on Jack Smith, his evidence, or his case,” Raskin said Friday. “This upcoming hearing is a win for truth-seeking Americans and yet another looming humiliation for Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans.”
Republicans have spent months portraying Smith’s probes as politically tainted, citing donations he made to Democratic campaigns years before his 2022 appointment as special counsel. They also note that the investigations unfolded while President Joe Biden occupied the White House-an overlap they argue created at least the appearance of a conflict.
Trump’s Legal Exposure and Current Status
Smith’s team secured two federal indictments against Trump:
- Classified-documents case – charged in June 2023 in Florida
- Election-interference case – charged in August 2023 in Washington
Both cases stalled after Trump won the 2024 election. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, dismissed the documents case in July 2024, ruling that the appointment of a special counsel without Senate confirmation violated the Appointments Clause. Smith appealed but ultimately dropped the matter once Trump returned to office, citing long-standing Justice Department policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.
The election case met a similar fate. Smith withdrew that indictment in November 2024, again invoking DOJ precedent.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing, labeling the probes “witch hunts” designed to derail his political comeback. Since reclaiming the White House, he has called for Smith himself to face prosecution, though he has not specified what charges he believes are warranted.
What to Expect at the Hearing
House rules give lawmakers five minutes apiece to question witnesses, meaning the session could stretch across an entire day if most of the committee’s 45 members choose to participate. Republicans will likely press Smith on:
- The timing of key investigative steps during the 2024 campaign
- His office’s interactions with the Biden-era Justice Department
- Whether prosecutors considered the political fallout of bringing charges against a leading presidential contender
Democrats, meanwhile, are expected to emphasize the evidence laid out in the indictments and ask Smith to rebut GOP claims of partisan bias.
Unlike a courtroom, the committee forum does not follow federal evidence rules, so lawmakers can raise topics that would otherwise be off-limits at trial.
Broader Context
The January 22 appearance will mark the first time Smith has spoken publicly since stepping down in January 2025. His testimony could influence:
- Ongoing House GOP probes into the Justice Department
- Public opinion of the cases that once threatened Trump’s political future
- Debate over whether Congress should tighten or loosen special-counsel regulations
For Trump, the hearing offers a chance to keep the spotlight on investigations he calls illegitimate. For Democrats, it is an opportunity to remind voters why the cases were brought in the first place.
Key Takeaways
- Jack Smith finally gets the public platform he requested, under subpoaena from the Republican-led Judiciary Committee
- The former special counsel is expected to defend both the classified-documents and election-interference prosecutions
- With both cases now closed, the hearing is more about political messaging than legal consequences
- The session will be broadcast live, giving Americans a direct view of one of the most consequential investigations in modern political history
