By Sandy Fitzgerald | Friday, 19 December 2025 12:36 PM EST
Former special counsel Jack Smith has demanded an open-door hearing before the House Judiciary Committee to defend his investigations into former President Donald Trump and himself against attacks from Republican members of Congress.
Smith’s lawyers, Lanny Breuer and Peter Koski, wrote in a letter to committee Chairman Jim Jordan on Friday, reiterating their request for a public hearing. “During the investigation of President Trump, Mr. Smith steadfastly followed Justice Department policies, observed all legal requirements, and took actions based on the facts and the law,” the attorneys stated.
Smith appeared behind closed doors earlier this week for a deposition with the Judiciary Committee. In their letter, provided to Politico, Breuer and Koski requested that the video of that testimony be released publicly and in full so Smith could present his case directly to the public “rather than through second-hand accounts.”
Smith spoke more than eight hours under oath during his committee testimony, defending his decisions to file charges against former President Donald Trump over allegations he attempted to overturn the 2020 election results and mishandled classified documents. Smith argued his office had evidence proving Trump’s actions “beyond a reasonable doubt” violated federal law.
Both cases were dropped under Justice Department policy prohibiting prosecutions of sitting presidents. House Republicans have intensified scrutiny of Smith after it was revealed he sought phone data from GOP lawmakers during the election investigation. Committee Chairman Jordan has not ruled out allowing Smith to testify publicly but referred his senior assistant for criminal prosecution for failing to cooperate with the committee’s inquiry.
Congressional Democrats support Smith’s call for a public hearing, stating closed proceedings deprive the public of information about Trump while Republicans distort Smith’s testimony record. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, remarked that “somebody should prepare Donald Trump for it, because he will be devastated and humiliated by what he hears.”
The testimony remains restricted due to Justice Department policy, grand jury secrecy rules, and a judge’s order sealing Smith’s report on classified documents.
