Jack Smith to face Senate questions over records and testimony

Former special counsel Jack Smith is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 29, facing questions from lawmakers about his investigations of Donald Trump and allegations that he misled Congress about records obtained during those probes. The hearing is set to begin at 9 a.m. EDT, according to the announced schedule. The dispute centers on two different types of records. In closed-door testimony to the House Judiciary Committee in December, Smith was asked whether subpoenas for senators’ toll records included the contents of phone calls or text messages. He answered no. Toll records show call metadata, such as the time, date, duration and numbers involved, but not the communications themselves. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan later referred Smith to the Justice Department, alleging his answers created the false impression that his team had no access to lawmakers’ message contents. Jordan cited records showing that a separate subpoena to the National Archives and Records Administration obtained text messages involving 44 lawmakers as part of an inquiry into communications of Trump advisers and aides.