Jack Smith to appear next week at a public hearing to testify on Trump probes

First on Fox: Former special counsel Jack Smith will testify at a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee next week, giving Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the panel a chance to question him in a public hearing about his prosecutions of President Donald Trump.

A source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that Smith will appear before the committee on January 22, one month after he sat before the committee and testified for eight hours about his work as special counsel.

Smith has long said he wants to speak to the committee publicly, and although committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, first called for testimony, the chairman also said an open hearing was on the table.

Key points from Jack Smith’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee

Smith investigated and filed indictments against Trump over the 2020 election and alleged retention of secret documents. Trump pleaded not guilty and fought the charges vigorously, and Smith dropped both cases when Trump won the 2024 election, citing a Justice Department policy that discouraged the prosecution of sitting presidents.

In a public hearing, House lawmakers will be able to question Smith in five-minute increments, while in the deposition, each side questioned Smith in one-hour sessions. Politico first reported that Smith will attend a hearing sometime this month.

Smith provided little new information during his initial meeting with the committee and defended his work.

“I made my investigative decisions without regard to President Trump’s political affiliation, activities, beliefs, or candidacy in the 2024 presidential election,” Smith said, according to a transcript of the affidavit. “We took action based on what the facts and the law required, the same lesson I learned early in my career as a prosecutor.”

Jack Smith defends Republican phone records: ‘Absolutely true’

Rep. Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, looks on during a hearing with the House Judiciary Committee at the Rayburn House Office Building on September 03, 2025 in Washington, DC (Kevin Deitch/Getty Images)

Smith said he followed Justice Department policy when the prosecution team made the controversial decision to subpoena the phone records of several Republican senators and House members. Smith noted that the subpoenas targeted a narrow set of data.

“If Donald Trump chose to subpoena a number of Democratic senators [to delay the election certification proceedings]We had record numbers of Democratic Senators. “The responsibility for why these records, why we collected them, lies with Donald Trump,” Smith said.

Trump, who has long criticized Smith as a “thug” and said he belongs in prison, said he would welcome Smith to a public hearing.

President Donald Trump during a presentation in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday, December 15, 2025. (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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In response to a question about Smith’s appearance next week, a representative for Smith provided a statement from one of his attorneys, Lanny Brewer.

“Jack has been clear for months that he is ready and willing to answer questions at a public hearing about his investigations into President Trump’s alleged illegal efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his mishandling of classified documents,” Brewer said.