GOP chair of House Judiciary Committee asks Justice Department to consider prosecuting Jack Smith

Key Points:

• House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan has requested the Justice Department to consider criminally charging special counsel Jack Smith, alleging Smith misled Congress about obtaining text messages between Trump administration officials and members of Congress during his investigation.
• Jordan’s referral centers on Smith’s testimony claiming his team only sought phone toll records, not message content, while evidence suggests Smith’s team accessed text messages of 44 members of Congress, raising concerns of potential false statements to Congress.
• Smith’s lawyers deny any falsehood, stating Smith’s testimony was truthful and that the referral is a politically motivated attempt to harass a nonpartisan public servant following the facts and law.
• The Justice Department, now led by Trump’s former defense attorney Todd Blanche pending Senate confirmation, confirmed receipt of Jordan’s referral and stated it will investigate any evidence of criminal conduct.
• Democrats, including Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, criticize the GOP move as a political tactic to intimidate Smith and distract from Republican involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, emphasizing constitutional protections for congressional communications.