Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to the Justice Department requesting a criminal investigation of former special counsel Jack Smith [1].
The request marks a significant escalation in the conflict between House Republicans and the former prosecutor, potentially shifting the legal focus from the targets of Smith's previous investigations to the investigator himself.
Jordan wrote to the department on Wednesday night [3]. He asked the Justice Department to consider criminally charging Smith, alleging that the former special counsel made false statements during a congressional deposition [1, 2, 4].
The deposition in question took place in December of the previous year [1, 2]. Jordan's request is framed as a formal referral for the U.S. DOJ to probe whether Smith's testimony was intentionally misleading or fraudulent [2, 3].
Smith previously led two prosecution attempts against former President Donald Trump [3]. The current request from the House Judiciary Committee seeks to determine if Smith violated federal law while testifying about those proceedings.
Jordan's letter seeks a full review of the testimony provided by Smith to the committee [1, 4]. The representative from Ohio said the U.S. DOJ should pursue prosecution if the evidence supports a charge of making false statements to Congress [2].
The Justice Department has not yet announced whether it will open a formal inquiry into the matter [1].
“Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) sent a letter to the Justice Department requesting a criminal investigation of former special counsel Jack Smith.”
This move by Rep. Jordan represents a strategic attempt by the House Judiciary Committee to hold former special counsels accountable for their testimony under oath. By requesting a criminal referral, Jordan is testing the willingness of the Justice Department to investigate its own former high-ranking officials, further intensifying the political tension surrounding the legal battles involving former President Donald Trump.
