Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) announced Monday that he has formally invited former special counsel Jack Smith to appear before the panel on September 22. The invitation, disclosed in a post on X, signals a new front in the Republican scrutiny of the federal investigations that targeted former President Donald Trump.
“I’m inviting Jack Smith to testify before Senate Judic Cmte on Sept 22,” Grassley wrote, adding that “American ppl deserve nothing less than full transparency + accountability for Arctic Frost and special counsel lawfare.” The invitation was first reported by Politico.
The move comes months after Grassley revealed that Smith’s “Arctic Frost” probe—centered on efforts to overturn the 2020 election—had sought phone records from ten Republican senators and at least one House member. In mid-July, Grassley said the Department of Justice had informed him that Smith’s team “secretly obtained” lawmakers’ text messages as part of the investigation into Trump.
According to Grassley, he was among 44 lawmakers whose communications with White House staff were reviewed during the previous administration’s probes into Trump’s alleged role in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot and the classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. Smith oversaw both cases, which were dropped after Trump’s election victory in November 2024.
The upcoming testimony is expected to be contentious, with Republicans demanding answers about the scope of the records seizures and the legal justifications behind them. Democrats, meanwhile, have largely defended Smith’s work, pointing to the evidence he gathered.
In January, Smith appeared before the House Judiciary Committee, where he defended his prosecutorial decisions and maintained that his team had found sufficient evidence of criminal activity by Trump. That appearance did little to quell GOP criticism, and Grassley’s invitation suggests a continued push for accountability.
Legal experts have weighed in on the controversy. For instance, former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann has dismissed perjury claims against Smith as “preposterous,” but the political friction remains. The hearing could also touch on broader questions about the independence of special counsels and the limits of executive branch investigations.
Grassley’s announcement follows a pattern of aggressive oversight by Republican-led committees, which have also probed perjury allegations against Smith and accountability issues in previous administrations. The September 22 hearing is set to be a high-stakes showdown, as Smith will likely face sharp questioning over the Arctic Frost operation and the handling of sensitive communications.
Observers note that the testimony could have implications for public trust in the justice system, especially with the 2026 midterm elections on the horizon. Grassley has not indicated whether the session will be open or closed, but his public invitation suggests he intends to make the proceedings as transparent as possible.
Smith’s office has not yet responded to the invitation. If he declines, Grassley could issue a subpoena, setting up a legal battle over executive privilege and prosecutorial discretion.
