Camilla Jessen
The prosecutor who investigated Trump will testify behind closed doors before Congress.
A former U.S. special prosecutor who led two federal criminal investigations involving Donald Trump is set to appear before Congress later this month.
But the testimony will happen behind closed doors, according to reporting from AFP cited by Agerpres.
Jack Smith has long been a target of Trump’s attacks, and remains central to the political and legal fallout surrounding the president’s cases.
His upcoming appearance has already triggered partisan clashes on Capitol Hill.
Closed-door summons
AFP reported that House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan issued a subpoena on Wednesday ordering Smith to testify on December 17 about his handling of the two investigations.
In the letter, Jordan wrote that Smith holds information “vital” to the committee’s oversight work, without offering specifics.
Trump and many of his Republican allies frame Smith as proof of what they call the “weaponization” of justice under President Joe Biden.
Trump again referred to Smith as a “criminal” in October, demanding that he be “prosecuted and sent to prison.”
Democrats object
The committee’s top Democrat, Jamie Raskin, criticised Jordan for rejecting Smith’s request to testify publicly.
In a statement cited by AFP, Raskin argued that a closed hearing would allow Republicans to “manipulate, distort, and cherry-pick his statements” through selective leaks.
“Why are our colleagues so afraid?” he asked, urging a full public accounting of Smith’s work.
Smith’s lawyer said he had offered more than a month ago to testify in an open session.
He expressed disappointment that the proposal was rejected, saying the American public was being denied the chance to hear Smith’s explanation directly, according to U.S. media reports.
Investigations halted after election
AFP noted that Smith recommended ending federal prosecutions against Trump in November 2024, after Trump won the presidential election.
One case concerned efforts to overturn the 2020 result, and the other involved Trump’s handling of classified documents after leaving office.
The Justice Department concluded that long-standing policy dating back to Watergate, barring prosecution of a sitting president, applied to this situation.
In a final report released in January 2025, Smith wrote that he believed he would likely have secured a conviction “if it had not been for the election of Donald Trump and his imminent return to the presidency.”
Sources: AFP, Agerpres, U.S. media reports.
