Barbara McQuade, Columnist

Release the Jack Smith Deposition Transcript

The public deserves to know what he had to say. 

Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

This week, former special counsel Jack Smith finally had the chance to speak about the findings of his investigation into President Donald Trump. It’s a shame the public couldn't hear him.

That’s because Smith’s statements came not during a public trial or a congressional hearing, but in a closed-door deposition. Smith appeared in response to a subpoena issued by Republican Representative Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which rejected Smith’s request to testify publicly — as special counsels before him traditionally have done.