Jack Smith Demands Public Hearing on Trump Cases Amid House Committee Pressure

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Dec. 19, 2025

Former special counsel Jack Smith has demanded that an open-door hearing be held with the House Judiciary Committee to allow him to defend his investigations into President Donald Trump and himself against attacks from House Republicans.

In a letter sent to committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Smith’s attorneys Lanny Breuer and Peter Koski reiterated their request for an open and 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. “He stands by his decisions.”

Smith previously appeared behind closed doors for a deposition with the Judiciary Committee earlier this week.

In their letter, Breuer and Koski requested that the video of that testimony be released publicly and in full so Smith can make his case known directly to the public “rather than through second-hand accounts.”

Smith spoke more than eight hours under oath to House Judiciary members, during which he stood behind decisions to file charges against then-former President Donald Trump over allegations he tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election and mishandled classified documents.

In his testimony, Smith argued that his office had evidence proving “beyond a reasonable doubt” Trump had broken the law. However, both cases were dropped under Justice Department policy preventing prosecution of a sitting president.

House and Senate Republicans have continued to investigate Smith and his office, particularly after it was revealed that the special counsel sought phone data for GOP lawmakers during the election case investigation.

Jordan has said he hasn’t ruled out allowing Smith to testify publicly but referred Smith’s senior assistant for criminal prosecution for failing to cooperate with the committee’s investigation.

Congressional Democrats support Smith’s call for a public hearing, stating closed hearings deprive the public of information about Trump while Republicans distort Smith’s testimony record.

“I think somebody should prepare Donald Trump for it, because he will be devastated and humiliated by what he hears,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, chair of the House Judiciary Committee.