House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) has called for a prosecutor on special counsel Jack Smith’s team to answer questions about his role in the prosecution of former President Donald Trump. The prosecutor, Jay Bratt, has been invited to sit for an interview with the committee to address allegations of “unethical conduct” related to the classified documents case in Florida.
Jordan and his fellow Republicans are particularly concerned about three meetings Bratt attended at the White House before Trump’s indictment. These meetings occurred in September 2021, November 2021, and March 2023. Jordan suspects these meetings were part of a coordinated effort between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the White House to target political opponents of President Joe Biden.
“You have been closely involved with the investigation and prosecution of President Trump,” the letter from Jordan reads. “You have engaged in a series of improper actions and unethical conduct that violate the Department’s duty to impartial justice.”
Jordan’s concerns are based on the timing and nature of Bratt’s meetings with White House officials. The meetings took place before key developments in the Trump case, raising suspicions among Republicans about potential improper coordination. Jordan previously expressed these concerns in letters to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients.
“This new information raises serious concerns regarding the potential for a coordinated effort between the Department and the White House to investigate and prosecute President Biden’s political opponents,” Jordan wrote in his letters last August.
Another issue raised by Jordan involves a claim by Stanley Woodward, an attorney for one of Trump’s co-defendants in the classified documents case. Woodward alleged that Bratt mentioned a potential judicial appointment during a conversation about the case. According to Woodward, Bratt said, “I wouldn’t want to do anything to mess that up,” implying that the prosecutor might influence Woodward’s nomination. Smith’s team denied any impropriety, describing the comment as a matter of “professional courtesy” and a “confusion” about details.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has postponed the start of the classified documents case indefinitely, with hearings scheduled for later this month to address various legal issues raised by Trump’s defense team.
