Former special counsel Jack Smith set for Senate Judiciary hearing Tuesday
Jack Smith is scheduled to testify alone Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee on his Trump probes and investigators’ handling of lawmakers’ phone and messaging records.
What we know: Former special counsel Jack Smith is set to appear as the sole witness Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 9 a.m. ET in Hart Senate Office Building Room 216, according to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The hearing is titled “Oversight of Jack Smith’s Abuse of Authority and the Targeting of Republicans and Related Matters.”
Republican case: Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has led the Senate push. “Jack Smith must answer for what he did to hundreds of Republican groups and individuals,” Grassley said in a statement quoted by Roll Call. “The records made public to-date show rampant abuse of authority and political targeting — all on the taxpayers’ dime.”
Last week the House Judiciary Committee released a report alleging investigators “unconstitutionally subpoenaed” phone records of more than a dozen Republican members of Congress, Roll Call reported. Reports from Grassley and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) have stated that Smith obtained texts and messages of 44 lawmakers and hundreds of others.
Speech or Debate fight: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), whose records were among those obtained, and others argue the moves violated the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause. “I’m sure we’ll have a lot of questions about his many illegal activities, spying on members of Congress, violating DOJ procedures. The list is long,” Hawley said ahead of the hearing, per Roll Call. No court has found wrongdoing by Smith or his prosecutors as part of the probes themselves, Roll Call noted.
Democratic pushback: Ranking member Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) said Smith had volunteered to appear for over a year and that Republicans “wouldn’t have him until” now, Roll Call reported. Smith last testified to the House Judiciary Committee in January about his work.
Background: Then-Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith after Trump announced his 2024 run. Smith oversaw federal cases on alleged election interference and classified documents at Mar-a-Lago; both were dismissed after Trump’s reelection under Justice Department policy that a sitting president cannot face federal charges, Roll Call reported.
What this means: Tuesday’s hearing puts Smith under oath on Capitol Hill again, with Republicans focused on lawmaker records and Democrats framing the delay as political. Outcomes and quotes from the session itself were not yet available when this edition was filed before the 9 a.m. start.