House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan has issued a subpoena for former special counsel Jack Smith to appear for a closed-door deposition on December 17 and to produce records by December 12, part of the committee’s probe into Smith’s prosecutions of President Donald Trump. This is not a casual invitation — it is Congress exercising its oversight responsibilities to get answers about politically explosive decisions made by the DOJ.
Jordan noted that Smith will be testifying under oath and thus legally obligated to tell the truth, a welcome reminder that no one is above accountability, even politically appointed prosecutors who behaved like partisan actors. Americans deserve sworn answers about how and why the Justice Department handled these cases the way it did.
Smith reportedly offered to testify publicly, but Republicans pushed for a private deposition — a move opponents mock as secrecy while the truth is they want to avoid the usual media circus and selective leaks that distort testimony. Smith’s lawyers said he would comply, underscoring that this fight is about process and institutional integrity, not some melodramatic showdown.
What Americans should not forget is the broader context of these inquiries: evidence has surfaced that Smith’s office issued an alarming number of subpoenas and gathered phone metadata tied to hundreds of Republican targets during the Arctic Frost phase of the investigation. That kind of scoop-and-scrutinize approach smells of weaponization, and Congress has every right to examine whether prosecutors crossed constitutional lines.
Democrats and their allies are already blasting the closed-door deposition and demanding public theatrics, but their outrage rings hollow when you remember how they cheered on the selective leaks and partisan press briefings during the original investigations. If Democrats cared about transparency, they would be pushing for the full, unredacted records to be released by the DOJ instead of staging soundbites for television.
The Justice Department’s dragging of feet over guidance for former officials like Smith is telling — officials who led these probes should not be allowed to hide behind bureaucratic excuses when asked to explain their decisions under oath. Congress must press for documents and testimony without fear; if Smith or anyone else refuses to comply, the committee should not hesitate to pursue contempt or referral options to enforce the rule of law.
Hardworking Americans are watching this fight because it’s bigger than one man or one case: it’s about whether our justice system will be a neutral guarantor of liberty or a tool of political advantage. Republicans in Congress must stay relentless, demand sworn testimony, secure the records, and restore equal justice under the law so that no future administration can weaponize prosecutors against its political opponents.
