Speaking on Fox News Thursday, Jordan highlighted the contrast between Smith and several members of his former team. “He did not take the Fifth like some of his deputies did,” said the Ohio Republican, underscoring a point GOP investigators have repeatedly emphasized as they probe Smith’s conduct.
During the lengthy session, Smith defended both federal investigations he led into then-former President Donald Trump, telling lawmakers that his charging decisions were based on evidence, not politics. Smith and his attorneys have said he welcomed the opportunity to address what they view as persistent mischaracterizations of his work.
Jordan said the committee has already interviewed multiple members of Smith’s inner circle, with sharply different results. “We’ve deposed three of his deputies,” he said. “We got more coming in, and one of them took the Fifth 70-some times.” Jordan added that the committee referred that individual for potential obstruction.
Two of Smith’s deputies—Jay Bratt and Thomas Windom—have already appeared for closed-door testimony and invoked their Fifth Amendment rights. The committee has made a criminal referral to the Justice Department regarding Windom for declining to answer certain questions.
What comes next for Smith remains uncertain. Jordan suggested the committee could move toward a public hearing, even though Smith’s own request to testify openly was not granted this time. Wednesday’s marathon session remained private.
Asked whether the panel might pursue legal action against Smith himself, Jordan declined to elaborate. “I don’t want to get into that, and I can’t get into the details of the conversation,” he said.
The committee is pressing ahead regardless, sending interview requests this week to four additional deputies who worked on Smith’s investigations. “We may look to have a public hearing where we bring Mr. Smith in front of the committee,” Jordan said. “But we’re going to just keep moving through that.”
Democrats on the panel strongly disagreed with the closed-door approach. Ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin and other Democratic lawmakers spoke with reporters midway through Smith’s testimony, again calling for transparency.
“Every other special counsel has been able to come here and testify,” Raskin said, citing Robert Mueller and Robert Hur as examples. He added that, in his view, Smith had answered “every single question to the satisfaction of any reasonable-minded person in that room.”
Jordan subpoenaed Smith earlier this month, accusing him of pursuing “partisan and politically motivated prosecutions” against Trump. Smith oversaw two high-profile federal cases: one involving Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, and another focused on efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Despite the testimony, Jordan said his conclusions remain unchanged. “Nothing yesterday changed my overall belief that this was driven by politics,” he said, pointing to the timing of charges and specific legal filings as ongoing concerns.
As the investigation continues, the clash over Smith’s legacy—and the broader debate over politics and prosecution—shows no sign of cooling down.
🚨 JUST IN : Sen. Mark Kelly just publicly confronted Trump_0004
🚨 THE ASTRONAUT VS. THE PRESIDENT: Mark Kelly’s “Zero” Comment Set to Rock the Foundations of American Politics
In a world of political theater, a real-life hero just dropped a nuclear-grade truth bomb. Senator Mark Kelly—a man who has commanded space shuttles and flown combat missions—has taken the gloves off, targeting Donald Trump in a viral showdown that is redefining the meaning of “patriotism.”
The Question That Silenced the Internet
It started with a simple, haunting question. In a video that has already racked up millions of views, Senator Mark Kelly stared directly into the camera and asked:
“I’ve got a question for you. How many generations of Donald Trump’s family have served in the military?”
The silence that followed lasted only a second, but it felt like an eternity before Kelly delivered the crushing blow: “Zero.”
A Tale of Two Dynasties: Blood vs. Bone Spurs
Kelly didn’t just stop at a statistic; he drew a line in the sand between two very different American legacies. With the clinical precision of a NASA captain, he dissected the contrast:
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The Kelly Legacy: Four generations of sacrifice. From a great-grandfather immigrating from Ireland to serve in the Navy, to grandfathers in WWII, and parents who were career police officers. Both Mark and his twin brother, Scott, rose to become Navy Captains and NASA astronauts.
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The Trump Record: Five draft deferments. Kelly pointedly reminded the world that while others were shipping off to war, Donald Trump remained home due to “bone spurs.”
“Four generations of service to this country earns me the right to speak,” Kelly declared, his voice steady but laced with steel. “Five deferments earns NOTHING.”
The Retaliation: Pensions Under Fire
This isn’t just a war of words; it’s a war of consequences. The friction between the two reached a boiling point after Kelly issued a stunning appeal to the U.S. Armed Forces, urging them to refuse illegal orders should Trump return to power.
The backlash from the Trump camp has been swift and brutal:
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Accusations of Treason: Trump has publicly branded Kelly’s move as an act of betrayal.
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The Hegseth Factor: Pete Hegseth has reportedly been exploring every legal loophole to strip the Senator of his military retirement benefits and pay.
For a man who spent his life in a flight suit, the threat of losing his pension is a direct strike at his livelihood—yet Kelly refuses to blink.
Why This Matters Now
This clash is no longer about a video or a tweet. It is a fundamental battle over the soul of the U.S. military. Is loyalty owed to a Commander-in-Chief, or to the Constitution?
As the Trump team maneuvers to punish the Senator, Kelly has become the face of a growing resistance within the veteran community. He isn’t just fighting for his seat in the Senate; he is fighting for the principle that “service” is more than just a campaign slogan.
THE VERDICT: Mark Kelly is betting his entire legacy on this fight. In the high-stakes game of political chicken, the Astronaut has proven he has nerves of steel. But as the “treason” labels fly and paychecks are threatened, the question remains: Who will the American people believe—the man who went to space, or the man who stayed home?
