Former special counsel prosecutor Jay Bratt is set to testify before the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee next week, according to sources familiar with the situation.
A notification reviewed indicates that Bratt will discuss Trump’s allegedly false statements, serving as the top vice-chairman for former special advisor Jack Smith.
This marks the first instance of a special counsel prosecutor being summoned before the Judiciary Committee following Trump’s departure from office, which included the dismissal of numerous prosecutors during his tenure.
It’s unclear how long the deposition will last or if Bratt intends to claim privileges to avoid answering questions. A spokesperson for the Judiciary Committee has not yet responded to inquiries regarding the deposition.
Smith has indicted Trump in two separate cases. In one, Trump mishandled documents from his Mar-a-Lago club and defied a summons for their return. In the other, he attempted to challenge the results of the 2020 election.
The classified documents case was dismissed before going to trial by U.S. District Judge Irene Cannon, who determined that Smith was improperly appointed, as he acted in a capacity of a “principal officer” within the Department of Justice, which requires Senate confirmation.
The specific topics investigators plan to discuss with Bratt remain uncertain. Nevertheless, the Judiciary Committee, led by Republican Speaker Jim Jordan, has suggested that the special advisory case stems from a politically motivated agenda against Trump by the Justice Department.
In a previous engagement, House investigators sought information from Smith concerning communications between the Biden White House and the Justice Department regarding criminal cases, including Bratt’s visits to the White House.
They also requested documents and communications related to a meeting between FBI and Justice Department officials before a magistrate’s request for a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago. Bratt is understood to have encouraged FBI leaders to pursue warrants.
This warrant laid the groundwork for accusations of espionage and obstruction of justice against Trump, with the FBI uncovering 101 classified documents, despite claims from Trump’s lawyers that they had complied with previous subpoenas for all confidential materials.
The House Judiciary Committee is also interested in the controversial meeting between Bratt and Stanley Woodward, the then legal representative for Trump, concerning the classification document case in November 2022.
Earlier reports indicated that Woodward’s complaint addressed this meeting in Washington’s U.S. District Court, where Bratt argued against Woodward’s applications while ostensibly trying to assist Trump’s client, Walt Nauta.
During the proceedings, Woodward asserted that Bratt expressed doubts regarding Woodward’s loyalty to Trump, suggesting he should testify against Nauta in a confidential document matter.
The claim was that if Bratt persuaded his client to turn against Trump, it could potentially amount to fraud regarding Woodward’s judicial application. This issue was forwarded to the Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility, but it appears no action was taken.
The meeting does not seem to have directly influenced Nauta’s testimony to prosecutors, and the extent of its impact on the case remains uncertain since Bratt lacked the authority to influence applications managed by the White House Counsel’s office.
