"Abusive surveillance": House panel demands Jack Smith testify over Trump probe
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Special Counsel Jack Smith on August 1, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images.
The House Judiciary Committee demanded former special counsel Jack Smith testify about what Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) called "prosecutorial misconduct and constitutional abuses" in Smith's investigation of President Trump.
Why it matters: The subpoena ramps up Trump's efforts to turn the tables on Smith, the prosecutor who once charged him, by demanding Smith now face prosecution himself.
What they're saying: Jordan's five-page letter accused Smith's team of silencing President Trump, raiding his home unnecessarily and manipulating key evidence.
- Jordan said some members of Smith's team refused to answer the committee's questions as part of its investigation into the so-called "weaponization" of the Justice Department under former President Biden. He cited two members who collectively refused to answer at least 145 questions.
- "As the Special Counsel, you are ultimately responsible for the prosecutorial misconduct and constitutional abuses of your office," Jordan wrote.
- Smith's attorney did not respond to Axios' comment request.
The other side: Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md) thanked Jordan for taking steps to release the special counsel's report.
- In an emailed statement, Raskin said, "An extraordinary years-long MAGA cover-up has deprived the American public of the opportunity to read this special counsel report that the taxpayers paid for."
- "When our Republican colleagues complete their nostalgic rerun investigations of the Biden Administration and fail yet again to identify even a whiff of wrongdoing in Jack Smith's work, we hope they will join Committee Democrats in demanding serious accountability from this DOJ," Raskin said.
Driving the news: FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the FBI had shut down a group tasked with investigating political corruption last week, and either fired or reassigned the investigating agents.
- The announcement came after a report found that the agents had been investigating nearly a dozen Republican officials in connection to the agency's probe of Trump's role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
What's inside: The letter requests by Oct. 28 all documents and communications Smith sent or received as special counsel related to his work, as well as any communication between him and any official of the Biden-Harris administration.
What we're watching: Trump has publicly demanded the Justice Department prosecute several of his political adversaries.
- U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, who was also Trump personal attorney, has already brought two indictments against ex-FBI director James Comey and New York attorney general Letitia James.
Go deeper: FBI shuts down corruption group, fires agents after they monitored GOP lawmakers
Editor's Note: This story was updated with Rep. Raskin's statement.
