Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, on Sunday said that he and his House Republican colleagues are “not taking anything off the table” related to investigating special counsel Jack Smith.
“We want the facts,” Jordan told CNN’s “State of the Union,” days after Smith and the Justice Department started the process of winding down two federal investigations into President-elect Donald Trump, who was projected to win the presidential election last week.
“I assume there’s going to be some report. But all we’re saying is, ‘preserve everything,’ so we, the Congress, who have a constitutional duty to do oversight, can see everything,” Jordan added.
Asked specifically multiple times whether Jordan would call on Smith to testify, Jordan repeatedly dodged the question, saying simply, “Maybe that’s been the norm, but we’re not taking anything off the table. I’m not saying for sure, but we want the information.”
On Friday, Jordan and Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., sent a letter to Smith’s office requesting that the staff “preserve all existing and future records and materials related to the Office of Special Counsel’s investigations and prosecutions of President Trump.”
“With President Trump’s decisive victory this week, we are concerned that the Office of Special Counsel may attempt to purge relevant records, communications, and documents responsive to our numerous requests for information,” the letter added.
“We do want the facts, and that’s why we sent the letter. Mr. Loudermilk and myself sent the letter saying, ‘Hey, Mr. Smith, preserve this information,’” Jordan told CNN on Sunday.
Jordan currently serves as the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, but control of the House is still in the air and NBC News has not yet projected the results of several battleground House districts.
If Democrats succeed in flipping the House, it is unlikely Jordan would remain as chair of the committee.
On Friday, Smith began the process of officially winding down a criminal investigation alleging Trump sought to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost.
Later Friday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan upheld Smith’s request to hit pause on the case, giving him almost a month to tell her how he plans to proceed.
The Justice Department has a long-standing policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.
Ginger Gibson, Dareh Gregorian and Daniel Barnes contributed.
