House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) has written his second letter in a week to Attorney General Merrick Garland, asking for information about Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of former President Trump.
In his second letter, Jordan asks to see the memo that formalized Smith’s appointment and his investigatory role.
“Please provide the committee with an unredacted copy of the memorandum outlining the scope of Special Counsel Smith’s investigations pursuant to his appointment on November 18, 2022, and any other document describing, listing, or delineating the authority and jurisdiction of the special counsel as soon as possible,” Jordan writes.
The letter comes a day after Smith and other DOJ officials met for nearly two hours with Trump attorneys Lindsey Halligan, John Rowley and James Trusty amid reports federal prosecutors are wrapping up the investigation into the former President’s handling of classified documents.
It also follows reporting that that the grand jury in the classified documents investigation is expected to meet again this week.
Also reported on Monday: prosecutors were examining whether the draining of a pool that flooded a room in Trump’s Florida country club residence, Mar-a-Lago, that stored computer servers with surveillance footage data was done so intentionally, according to CNN.
On November 18, Garland had largely spelled out what Smith’s duties would be during a televised press conference. The Attorney General noted that among those duties, Smith would “conduct the investigation involving classified documents and other presidential records, as well as the possible obstruction of that investigation.”
At the time, Smith had also issued his own statement, saying in part, “I will exercise independent judgement and will move the investigations forward expeditiously and thoroughly to whatever outcome the facts and the law dictate.”
When Republicans took majority control of the House in January, Jordan vowed to probe what he calls “this weaponization of the DOJ against the American people.”
In last week’s letter Jordan asked Garland to break down the FBI personnel assigned to the case, including whether any were involved with prior investigations into Trump.
DOJ acknowledged receipt of the letter but declined to comment further.
