Trump Cheers House Referral of Jack Smith to DOJ Over Testimony

Trump amplifies a House Judiciary Committee accusation that former Special Counsel Jack Smith lied to Congress about access to lawmakers' text messages.

First Published: July 23, 2026, 1:41 AM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump endorsed a House Judiciary Committee criminal referral accusing former Special Counsel Jack Smith of lying to Congress, urging the Justice Department to prosecute the man who once oversaw two federal cases against him.

The referral targets Smith’s sworn testimony about his team’s access to the private text messages of more than 40 lawmakers. Trump framed the development as vindication, sharing a report on the matter by mentioning the source (see justthenews).

Here is the full post on Truth Social: “Justice at last??? House panel accuses Jack Smith of lying to Congress, urges DOJ to prosecute: https://justthenews.com/government/congress/jim-jordan-sends-jack-smith-criminal-referral-justice-department” on July 23, 2026 at 5:31 AM ET.

This is the first message released by Trump today. On average, Trump produces about 15 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025.

The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 24 of his 454 posts over the last 30 days focused on the topic “Legal.”

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan referred Smith late Wednesday, alleging he lied about his team’s access to the contents of private text messages of over 40 lawmakers, according to justthenews. The referral accuses Smith of lying when he testified last year that the toll records his team requested for members of Congress did not include the content of those messages, according to justthenews.

“This information calls into question the completeness and accuracy of statements that Mr. Smith made under oath to the Committee regarding his team’s access to the content of Members’ text messages,” Jordan wrote in the referral, according to justthenews.

The stakes fall heaviest on Smith, who ran the special counsel investigations into Trump’s handling of classified documents and his conduct after the 2020 election before both cases ended. A prosecution would test whether a former prosecutor can face charges over congressional testimony. Republicans on the panel gain a legal hook against a longtime adversary, while Democrats on the committee say the referral rests on a misreading of the record.

House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, an attorney and former law professor, accused Jordan of distorting the facts, according to justthenews. Raskin said Smith compelled the National Archives to produce White House records that included the text messages but did not subpoena the phone records, meaning his testimony was accurate. “Jack Smith was clear and consistent in his testimony, and he told the truth,” Raskin said, according to justthenews.

For the average reader, the fight signals continued turbulence at the top of federal law enforcement, where a criminal referral of a former prosecutor is rare and politically charged. Jordan transmitted the referral to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, according to justthenews.

This has happened before. Congress has referred officials and private citizens for prosecution over testimony, though such referrals rarely lead to charges because the Justice Department retains full discretion over whether to act.

The next decision now rests with Blanche and the Justice Department, which must weigh whether to open an inquiry. No date for a charging decision has been announced.

Criminal referrals of prominent figures to the Justice Department have surfaced in Washington before, as happened during earlier eras of divided investigation. In 1998, the House released the Starr Report, which laid out grounds for impeachment against President Bill Clinton, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. The House impeached Clinton that December on charges including perjury, yet the Senate acquitted him in February 1999, and he served out his term.