Jack Smith Seeks Public Congressional Testimony

Former special counsel Jack Smith has asked the House and Senate Judiciary Committees to permit public testimony about his probes of President Trump’s handling of classified documents and alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election to correct “many mischaracterizations.” In a letter from his attorneys Lanny Breuer and Peter Koski, Smith said he will answer questions but requested Department of Justice assurances against punishment, guidance on grand‑jury secrecy, authorization to discuss the unreleased Volume II of his final report, and access to Special Counsel files he no longer controls. Smith led two investigations that produced criminal charges in 2023—over Mar‑a‑Lago classified materials and alleged efforts to subvert the transfer of power—and those prosecutions were dismissed after Trump’s 2024 victory. DOJ previously withheld Volume II at Attorney General Merrick Garland’s direction because related co‑defendant prosecutions were ongoing, and the subsequent dismissals have complicated what Smith could publicly disclose; Republicans have pressed inquiries into his conduct while Democrats have urged public testimony.