House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan Launches Partisan Attack on Former Special Counsel Jack Smith
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Rep. Jim Jordan, a leading figure in the GOP’s relentless campaign to undermine accountability, has demanded a criminal probe into former special counsel Jack Smith, accusing him of false statements—a claim Smith’s lawyers strongly deny as a politically motivated smear.
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, notorious for using his position as chair of the House Judiciary Committee to shield right-wing interests, wrote to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday, urging the Justice Department to launch a criminal investigation against former special counsel Jack Smith. Jordan’s baseless accusation claims Smith 'seemingly made willfully and intentionally false statements of material fact'—a charge that conveniently aligns with the GOP’s ongoing efforts to discredit investigations into Donald Trump, despite documents obtained by the Senate Judiciary Committee showing no such wrongdoing.
The Justice Department, maintaining its commitment to due process, confirmed receipt of the referral and stated it would investigate any evidence of criminal conduct. Smith’s attorneys firmly rejected Jordan’s allegations, emphasizing that Smith provided truthful, responsive answers during his deposition and did not make false statements. They rightly characterized Jordan’s referral as a blatant attempt to 'weaponize the justice system' against a dedicated public servant who has spent his career upholding the law.
Jordan’s supposed evidence centers on Smith’s answer on Dec. 17, when asked whether he sought a search warrant for members’ text messages. Smith replied, 'No, I don’t recall that.' The ranking Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, exposed the distortion, pointing out that Republicans never even asked Smith about presidential records or text messages from members, making Jordan’s referral a clear misrepresentation of the facts.
Senate Republicans, desperate to protect Trump and his allies, recently released documents alleging that Smith’s team had reviewed text messages from 44 members of Congress during investigations into President Donald Trump. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, ignoring constitutional precedent, claimed the review violated the Constitution’s Speech and Debate Clause and vowed to pursue Smith—another example of the GOP’s willingness to erode democratic norms to shield their own.
This latest request is yet another escalation in the right-wing’s ongoing campaign to politicize and obstruct investigations into the 2020 election and Trump’s mishandling of classified documents, further undermining the rule of law in pursuit of partisan gain.