Former Special Counsel Jack Smith to Testify Publicly About Trump Criminal Probes

(J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith is set to publicly testify about his criminal probes into President Donald Trump, weeks after he told lawmakers in a closed-door session that he had proof “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the president conspired to overturn the 2020 election.

Smith, who was appointed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to preside over a criminal investigation into Trump, will testify before the House Judiciary Committee on January 22, Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) announced Monday night.

“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,” Smith’s attorney, Lanny Breuer, said in a statement to NBC News.

Smith testified before the same panel in a closed-door session last month, during which he informed lawmakers he had proof “beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump had committed a crime to toss the results of the 2020 election.

In addition, Smith said his investigation had “developed powerful evidence that showed President Trump willfully retained highly classified documents after he left office in January 2021, storing them at his social club, including in a bathroom and a ballroom where events and gatherings took place.”

Days later, Smith demanded that House Republicans release the “full videotape” of his nine-hour testimony. Both the transcript and video of the deposition were released a week later.

Smith’s probe, which began in 2022, focused on Trump’s alleged effort to overturn his 2020 election loss, as well as the storing of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

Charges were filed in both investigations, but Trump escaped prosecution due to the longstanding DOJ policy against indicting a sitting president.

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