Live updates: Trump makes White House announcement; Epstein files release anticipated today
Jack Smith wants the American public to “hear the facts” about his two criminal cases against Trump, asking Trump ally Jim Jordan to release video of his eight-hour testimony during a closed-door deposition this week and schedule an open and public hearing, according to a letter obtained by NBC News.
Seeking to head off selective leaks of Smith’s testimony by Trump allies on Capitol Hill, Smith’s attorneys wrote in a letter to Jordan that the prompt public release of the full videotape of Smith’s testimony would “ensure that the American people can hear the facts directly from Mr. Smith, rather than through second-hand accounts.”
While Trump told reporters that he wanted Smith to testify in public, House Republicans have been reluctant to give Smith that public forum. A spokeswoman for Jordan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But in an interview with Sean Hannity, Jordan did not suggest that he’d generated any gotcha moments in his exchanges with Smith, instead telling Hannity that nothing in Smith’s testimony changed Jordan’s predetermined belief that the Smith cases were political. Jordan has not ruled out a future public hearing, but he hasn’t committed to one either.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., joked to reporters this week that Jordan made an “an excellent decision” in keeping Smith’s testimony secret because Smith’s testimony was “absolutely devastating to the president and all the president’s men involved in the insurrectionary activities of Jan. 6.”
Smith told Congress this week that he and his team gathered “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump engaged in a “criminal scheme” to overturn his 2020 election loss. During his testimony, Smith called Jan. 6 “an attack on the structure of our democracy in which over 100 heroic law enforcement officers were assaulted,” and said Trump and his associates exploited the violence of his supporters when they “tried to call Members of Congress in furtherance of their criminal scheme, urging them to further delay certification of the 2020 election.”
In the new letter, Smith’s attorneys wrote that he welcomed the opportunity to testify about Trump’s “alleged unlawful retention of classified documents, obstruction of justice, and role in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election,” and hoped his testimony would “serve to correct the many mischaracterizations about the work of the Special Counsel’s Office.”
Reiterating their request for an additional public hearing, Smith’s attorneys wrote that Smith stood by his decisions and “steadfastly” followed Justice Department policies and the law.
“We look forward to cooperating with you to provide the public with an opportunity to hear directly from Mr. Smith regarding his work,” Smith’s lawyers wrote to Jordan.
Politico first reported on the letter.
