Jordan Demands DOJ Investigate Allegations of Misconduct by Jack Smith

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) has intensified scrutiny of Special Counsel Jack Smith and his prosecution team, accusing the Department of Justice (DOJ) of obstructing accountability and shielding its attorneys from oversight. In a pointed letter sent Wednesday to the DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), Jordan demanded access to records and evidence related to alleged misconduct by Smith and his staff.

Special Counsel Jack Smith is leading two high-profile cases against Donald Trump: one concerning alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election and another involving the handling of classified documents. Jordan’s letter raises concerns about the integrity of Smith’s investigations, citing allegations that Smith’s team manipulated evidence, misled a federal court, and improperly pressured a defense attorney.

In his letter, Jordan criticized the OPR’s reluctance to act swiftly. “Your refusal to take prompt investigative steps will allow these attorneys to evade internal accountability by leaving the Department,” he wrote.

The Judiciary Committee initially requested documents in May, following reports of potential misconduct, and has followed up repeatedly in the months since. While the OPR admitted in November that it had opened an investigation into Smith’s office in June 2023, it claimed that initiating the probe earlier could have “interfered with” and “jeopardized” Smith’s prosecution efforts.

Jordan lambasted this justification, stating: “This excuse not only defies common sense, but it seems to violate the Department’s mission to ensure that justice is done in every case.”

Jordan revealed that Smith himself gave the OPR permission to investigate allegations of misconduct only after announcing plans to wind down the two Trump-related cases following Trump’s election victory. “It is absurd that OPR the Department entity charged with upholding ethical conduct would only examine allegations of prosecutorial misconduct after the subject of the allegations has approved the inquiry,” Jordan asserted.

The letter also included a formal preservation request for all records and materials related to the OPR’s investigation of Smith’s office. Jordan warned that failure to preserve these records would further erode public trust in the DOJ’s impartiality.

Jordan’s demands come amid mounting frustration with the DOJ’s handling of politically sensitive investigations. In a separate November case, a judge dismissed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request that Smith’s office preserve records, fueling fears among conservatives that critical evidence might be destroyed.

Paxton argued that the DOJ has a history of withholding or destroying records, stating, “Jack Smith’s team has conducted itself in multiple ways that suggest it cannot be blindly trusted to preserve, and eventually produce, all of its records.”

As House Republicans prepare for a new administration under President-elect Donald Trump, Jordan’s letter underscores the GOP’s commitment to uncovering potential abuses of power within the DOJ. The demand for transparency around Jack Smith’s investigations represents a broader push to restore public confidence in the justice system.

Whether the DOJ complies with Jordan’s requests remains to be seen, but the stakes are high as both sides gear up for continued legal and political battles.

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