Former special counsel Jack Smith is set to speak at a public hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, but despite publicly relishing the opportunity, new reports indicate that Republicans are "privately reluctant" about the hearing, which might allow Smith to "painstakingly detail" Donald Trump's "criminal scheme."
Prior to the 2024 election and the start of the second Trump administration, Smith led the Department of Justice's investigations into the now-current president's efforts to overturn his loss in the 2020 election and his mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. During a closed-door hearing last month, Smith indicated that he had the utmost confidence in the cases and had proved "beyond a reasonable doubt" that Trump had engaged in criminal actions.
According to a report published the morning before the hearing, the New York Times revealed that despite their public bluster over the hearing, which some have called an opportunity to expose Smith's "weaponization" of the justice system, many Republicans have had their doubts about it behind the scenes.
"For all their public denunciations of Mr. Smith, House Republicans had been privately reluctant to give him a public forum to make his case against Mr. Trump, after courts threw out charges against him in Florida and the District of Columbia," the Times report explained.
Democrats, meanwhile, remain pleased by the opportunity for Smith to speak publicly, hoping that he will "painstakingly detail" Trump's alleged criminal schemes surrounding the 2020 election.
"For Democrats, the hearing will be an opportunity for Smith to describe in painstaking detail evidence of Trump’s criminality and threat to the transfer of presidential power in 2020 — when he spent months pressuring elected officials to overturn the election results based on false claims of fraud," a report from Politico explained. "Smith has argued that Trump’s efforts fueled the Jan. 6 mob that attacked the Capitol, which the prosecutor says Trump attempted to exploit to continue his effort to stop Joe Biden from taking office."
Smith's appearance marks a significant moment in ongoing congressional scrutiny of the Justice Department's handling of cases related to Trump.
Smith's tenure as special counsel was marked by high-profile investigations into Trump's handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence and events surrounding January 6, 2021. His office secured an indictment in the classified documents case in Florida, though that case faced legal challenges and eventual dismissal following Trump's 2024 election victory.
The classified documents investigation resulted in charges against Trump, his aide Walt Nauta, and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira. However, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case in July 2023, ruling that Smith's appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional—a decision that shaped the trajectory of federal prosecution efforts against the former president.
Smith's January 6 investigation led to charges against numerous Capitol riot participants but faced complications regarding potential charges against Trump himself. Following Trump's election victory in November 2024, Smith resigned from his position, though his office continued to wrap up ongoing matters.