Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, on Wednesday night time requested the Justice Department to consider criminally charging particular counsel Jack Smith, who beforehand prosecuted President Donald Trump, in accordance to a letter despatched to DOJ obtained by NCS.
Jordan alleges Smith misled the committee in closed-door testimony late final yr. Jordan’s considerations are largely primarily based round Smith’s workforce of prosecutors acquiring textual content messages between Trump administration officers and members of Congress of their investigation of Trump and his prime aides’ response to his 2020 election loss, in accordance to the prison referral letter Jordan despatched to DOJ.
The Justice Department—with Trump’s major protection lawyer on the time, Todd Blanche, now main the division and on the verge of Senate affirmation as lawyer normal— has already responded that it “will investigate all evidence of criminal conduct,” in accordance to a spokesperson. The spokesperson confirmed the Department has acquired Jordan’s referral.
Jordan’s prison referral on Smith, and the Justice Department’s swift response, fulfills a longtime Republican want to examine and probably prosecute Smith.
Trump himself has known as for Smith to be jailed, particularly since he earned the dismissal of the prison fees Smith had introduced towards him and returned to the presidency final yr.
The Justice Department commonly receives prison referrals from Congress, and the division then decides whether or not it deserves fees and even an investigation. The present Republican-led Congress has requested the Justice Department to examine others from the Smith investigation who haven’t been charged.
But the present make-up of DOJ, and the recognized needs of the president to criminally pursue Smith and rewrite the findings of his investigation and the general public document of January 6, 2021, make Jordan’s transfer a notable escalation.
Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, blasted the GOP transfer, saying in an announcement, “This referral, if ever brought before a judge, will get laughed out of court. But success on the merits is not the goal. It is meant to harass Jack Smith.”
The Maryland Democrat added, “It is meant to whitewash their own participation in a scheme to overthrow our elections.”
NCS has reached out to Smith’s representatives.
Hannah Rabinowitz contributed to this report.