WASHINGTON (CN) — House Republicans on Thursday sent an early Christmas gift to the top prosecutor investigating former President Donald Trump, threatening to serve him with a legal summons unless he turns over a trove of information related to the probe.
The Department of Justice, led by special counsel Jack Smith, has for months prosecuted the former president over his efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election. The agency is also overseeing a separate case related to his handling of classified documents after leaving office.
GOP lawmakers, looking to defend Trump from what they frame as a political ploy to keep him out of the White House, have long cast aspersions on a pair of Justice Department investigations into the former president. Republicans have contended that President Biden is “weaponizing” the federal law enforcement agency to go after his political rivals — a claim that has been rejected by some legal experts.
In the GOP-controlled House Judiciary Committee, lawmakers have matched Smith’s probe with one of their own, hoping to demonstrate political malfeasance in the Justice Department. On Thursday, panel chair Jim Jordan stepped things up, telling the special counsel in a letter that he had “significant concerns about your commitment to evenhanded justice.”
Jordan, an Ohio Republican and staunch Trump defender, raised concerns about what he called Smith’s “record of attempting to criminalize political discourse,” pointing to November reports that the Justice Department had obtained a search warrant to investigate the former president’s account on X, formerly Twitter.
The lawmaker also took aim at Smith's staffing decisions. Jordan cited allegations made by a lawyer representing a Trump associate, who said in June that a top special counsel attorney had used the outcome of a judgeship application to pressure him into negotiating a plea deal on behalf of his client.
Such tactics, although unproven, “only reinforce the perception that you and your staff are more interested in winning the case than doing justice,” Jordan told Smith.
The Judiciary Committee chair demanded that the special counsel turn over all of his office’s documents and communications related to the investigation into Trump, including information about the office’s staff such as salaries and organizational structure. Jordan also requested details on how the special counsel’s office hires new staff members.
Further, the lawmaker demanded that Smith hand over all documents and communications related to the search warrant the special counsel received for Trump’s X account.
Jordan gave Smith until Jan. 4, 2024, to comply — adding that if he refused to do so, the committee may resort to “compulsory process,” indicating the possibility of a future subpoena.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not immediately return a request for comment.
As the 2024 campaign season gets underway, Trump, who is currently the frontrunner in the race to be Republicans’ presidential nominee, remains mired in legal controversy.
In addition to a bevy of federal criminal charges in Florida and Washington, the former president faces a third indictment in Georgia related to his campaign’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Meanwhile, some of the former president’s alleged conduct has found him left off the primary ballot in at least one state. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled this week that Trump’s election subversion efforts and his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot disqualify him from the presidency. As rationale, the court cited the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which blocks people who have committed acts of insurrection or rebellion from holding public office.
Trump is expected to challenge that ruling, which would be ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
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