Obama Allie Trolls The GOP
Former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder criticized House Republicans on Thursday over their handling of closed-door testimony from former special counsel Jack Smith, accusing GOP lawmakers of avoiding public scrutiny.
Speaking at the U.S. Capitol, Holder claimed Republicans chose to keep Smith’s appearance private because they feared his testimony would undermine their claims.
“They didn’t want him testifying in public,” Holder said. “They knew what he would say.”
Jack Smith was appointed during the Biden administration to investigate President Donald Trump over his challenges to the 2020 election results and the handling of classified documents stored at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence following his first term in office. The investigations led to multiple indictments, though Smith dropped the cases after Trump won a second term and returned to the White House.
Republicans have repeatedly argued that the Biden-era Department of Justice was politicized and used federal law enforcement to target Trump. GOP lawmakers have described the investigations as a “witch hunt” and have launched oversight efforts to examine how those cases were conducted.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has led those efforts. In October, Jordan requested Smith appear before the committee for a transcribed interview held behind closed doors. Smith asked that the testimony be public. Jordan declined, while leaving open the possibility of an open hearing at a later date.
Democrats have seized on the closed-door format to criticize Republicans, arguing it weakens their claims. Holder echoed those attacks while visiting the Capitol for meetings with Democratic lawmakers.
“If Republicans truly believed there was wrongdoing, they would have allowed the American people to see the testimony,” Holder said.
Holder also defended Smith’s actions, insisting the former special counsel operated within the law and with court approval. He criticized Republican oversight efforts as politically motivated and warned against what he described as interference with the Justice Department.
Conservatives counter that congressional oversight is not only appropriate but necessary, especially after years of unprecedented legal action against a former — and now sitting — president. Republicans argue transparency must apply equally to federal prosecutors and political appointees.
As House investigations into the Biden Justice Department continue, the clash over accountability, government power, and political bias in Washington is expected to intensify.
