Jack Smith to testify before Senate Judiciary on Tuesday

Smith’s Senate appearance

Former special counsel Jack Smith will testify Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee as senators examine his investigation into President Trump. It will be Smith’s second appearance before Congress connected to the inquiry.

The hearing will put Smith before a Senate panel after his earlier congressional appearance, giving lawmakers another opportunity to focus on the work he directed while serving at the Justice Department. Smith led a team of department investigators and was responsible for the team’s charging decisions.

That work resulted in Smith determining that he would bring charges against Trump in two cases. One involved documents at Mar-a-Lago. Smith’s leadership of the investigative team and his decisions about charges are central to the committee’s examination.

Focus of the testimony

Tuesday’s testimony is the next step in Congress’s probe of Smith’s work. Senators will be able to question him directly about an investigation he oversaw and the conclusions he reached as special counsel.

Smith is appearing as a former special counsel, but the testimony concerns decisions he made while holding that Justice Department role. His upcoming session follows his first appearance before Congress and continues lawmakers’ examination of the same investigative work.

The hearing centers on testimony from the person who led the Justice Department team and determined that charges should be brought. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s questions will determine which parts of Smith’s investigation and decision-making receive attention during Tuesday’s appearance.