Top Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee demanded Thursday that special counsel Jack Smith hand over a trove of documents related to his prosecution of former President Donald Trump or face a subpoena.
In a letter to Mr. Smith, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican, and Rep. Andy Biggs, Arizona Republican, said they have concerns over the special counsel’s “commitment to even-handed justice.” The lawmakers gave Mr. Smith until Jan. 4 to turn over the documents, or face the possibility of a subpoena.
The lawmakers demanded that Mr. Smith hand over all documents and communications among his office and the offices of Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
Mr. Jordan and Mr. Biggs also want access to documents and communications related to the internal workings of Mr. Smith’s office, such as salaries, travel costs related to the probe of Mr. Trump, hiring practices and hiring criteria for past, present and future employees of the office.
The pair accused Mr. Smith and his team of being more “interested in winning the case than in doing justice.”
“Your staff appointments for the Office of Special Counsel also lead to concern about your commitment to fairness and justice,” the lawmakers wrote.
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The lawmakers are also seeking all documents and communications stemming from Mr. Smith’s comprehensive search warrant for information related to Mr. Trump’s Twitter account. Mr. Jordan and Mr. Biggs wrote that the warrant compounded their concerns because it compelled Twitter, now X, to release “voluminous information” from private citizens.
A lawsuit from media companies meant to shed light on Mr. Smith’s probe revealed that the special counsel sought more than just Mr. Trump’s interactions on Twitter, but also “lists of Twitter users who have favorited or retweeted tweets” from his account, and all tweets that included Mr. Trump’s Twitter handle, according to the warrant.
Mr. Smith has led the investigation into Mr. Trump, which ultimately led to a federal indictment including four criminal charges stemming from the ex-president’s efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election and the events surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Republicans have decried the probe from President Biden’s Justice Department, arguing that it is political persecution of Mr. Biden’s top opponent in the 2024 election.
Mr. Trump’s trial is slated for March, but recent court appeals by his lawyers calling for presidential immunity for actions and crimes he allegedly committed while in office could delay proceedings.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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