Jim Jordan urges DOJ investigation of former special counsel Jack Smith

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department’s acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, accusing former special counsel Jack Smith of willfully and intentionally making false statements under oath. Jordan alleges that Smith misled Congress about whether his team accessed the contents of text messages from U.S. lawmakers while investigating former President Donald Trump’s 2020‑election interference and classified‑documents cases. The referral cites newly released records obtained by Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley that show Smith’s investigators reviewed the text messages of 44 members of Congress, contradicting Smith’s testimony that his team only obtained “toll records” – call‑time data that do not include message content. Smith’s lawyers contend his answers were truthful and responsive to the specific questions asked. Democratic ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin called the referral “baseless” and said it would be “laughed out of court.” The Justice Department confirmed it has received the referral and will investigate the evidence. The move follows a broader Republican effort to target Smith after his high‑profile investigations of Trump, which ended without convictions, and has been praised by former President Trump on social media.