House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) issued a subpoena to former special counsel Jack Smith to appear for a deposition. “The Committee on the Judiciary is continuing to conduct oversight of the operations of the Office of Special Counsel you led – specifically, your team’s prosecutions of President Donald J. Trump and his co-defendants,” a letter to Smith read. “Due to your service as Special Counsel, the Committee believes that you possess information that is vital to its oversight of this matter,” it continued. “Jack Smith Subpoenaed,” Jordan wrote on X. Jack Smith Subpoenaed. pic.twitter.com/hjqInNjGSG — Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) December 3, 2025 A closer look: Fox News has more: The forthcoming deposition, which is set to take place behind closed doors, comes as House and Senate Republicans have zeroed in on Smith’s election-related investigation of Trump, describing it as a scandal that unnecessarily swept up hundreds of Republican lawmakers, GOP entities, Trump allies and media outlets as part of the probe. Smith has repeatedly stood by his work as special counsel, which eventually involved bringing two sets of criminal charges against Trump over the 2020 election and over alleged retention of classified documents. Smith dropped both cases after Trump won the 2024 election, citing a Department of Justice policy that discourages prosecuting sitting presidents. Smith has already offered to publicly testify before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, but a source familiar with Jordan’s request said a deposition is the chairman’s preferred format because each party on the committee can question Smith for an hour at a time and build a better record. In a public hearing, lawmakers typically question a witness in five-minute intervals. Peter Koski, an attorney for Smith, told Fox News Digital that Smith had offered to voluntarily appear in a public hearing setting six weeks ago. “We are disappointed that offer was rejected, and that the American people will be denied the opportunity to hear directly from Jack on these topics,” Koski said, according to Fox News. “Jack looks forward to meeting with the committee later this month to discuss his work and clarify the various misconceptions about his investigation,” he added. CBS News noted: Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, accused Republicans and the Trump administration of mounting a “coordinated campaign to smear” Smith and his team for their investigation into Mr. Trump and his allies related to their alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. “Chairman Jordan has denied Special Counsel Jack Smith’s offer to speak publicly to the whole Congress and the whole country about his investigations into Donald Trump, instead demanding he comply with a subpoena for a closed-door, private session simply so Republicans can spin, distort, and cherry-pick his remarks through press leaks,” he said in a statement. “What are our colleagues so afraid of, that they won’t let the American people hear directly from the Special Counsel? Raskin, of Maryland, said Smith followed the proper legal principles, protocols and guidelines throughout his probe and took “careful investigative steps.”