Facing Trump's wrath, Jack Smith requests public hearing in House GOP probe

Former special counsel Jack Smith requested to testify in "an open and public hearing" in a Thursday letter from his attorneys to House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

Why it matters: The open forum would give Smith — who is facing congressional probes and calls from President Trump to have him "investigated and put in prison"— the opportunity to publicly defend his investigations into Trump's alleged criminal conduct.

• "During the investigation of President Trump, Mr. Smith steadfastly followed Justice Department policies, observed all legal requirements, and took actions based on the facts and the law," Smith's lawyers, Lanny Breuer and Peter Koski, wrote in the letter obtained by Axios. "He stands by his decisions."
• Smith's attorneys did not respond to Axios' request for comment. Jordan's office did not provide comment.

Context: House Republicans subpoenaed Smith in October to testify over what Jordan called "prosecutorial misconduct and constitutional abuses" in the former special counsel's investigation of President Trump.

Catch up quick: House Republicans previously accused Smith's team of silencing Trump, raiding his home unnecessarily and manipulating key evidence.

• After they subpoenaed him, Smith provided closed-door testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
• In the Thursday letter, Smith's attorneys said the former special counsel "welcomed" the opportunity to testify and "hopes that it will serve to correct the many mischaracterizations" about his work.
• "The decision to bring charges against President Trump was mine, but the basis for those charges rests entirely with President Trump and his actions, as alleged in the indictments returned by grand juries in two different districts," Smith said to lawmakers in his opening statement, obtained by multiple outlets.

Flashback: Smith brought two criminal cases against Trump: one for mishandling classified documents and another for conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

• Neither made it to trial, and Smith's team wound down its work after Trump won back the White House last November.

The intrigue: In addition to a public hearing, Smith's lawyer's asked for the recording of Smith's private testimony to be released in full so the public can hear it directly, "rather than through second-hand accounts."

• "We look forward to cooperating with you to provide the public with an opportunity to hear directly from Mr. Smith regarding his work," they wrote.

Go deeper: Republican lawmakers suggest Jack Smith should lose law license

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Smith was the target of calls by Trump to have him investigated (not that the Department of Justice threatened to prosecute him).