Former Special Prosecutor Jack Smith probably thought he was being clever when he told the Senate Judiciary Committee last week that he had "never met" former CIA Director John Brennan, but newly declassified records indicate his denial wasn't entirely truthful.
During the September 29 hearing, Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) asked Smith a very specific question about his relationship with Brennan. Here's the exact phrasing:
GRASSLEY: “Have you ever received any consultation or counsel by John Brennan, former CIA Director, whether during your time as Special Counsel or otherwise? If so, when and for what purpose?”
Smith dodged and ultimately didn't actually answer Grassley's question with his response, saying: "I've never met John Brennan."
Well, it turns out that the distinction between "never met" and never receiving "any consultation or counsel by John Brennan" is actually important.
Grassley: "Have you ever received consultation or counsel from John Brennan?" Jack Smith: "I never met John Brennan." But that wasn’t the question. The answer is YES. Because we now know he received counsel from John Brennan when his team met on 11/3/2023. https://t.co/u7me5Adm38
— Erikaaa (@ErikaCA47) October 5, 2026
In records declassified by the White House earlier this week, it's been revealed that two of Smith's assistant counsels, accompanied by FBI agents, actually met with Brennan at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, back in November 2023. The visit came as Smith and his team were preparing its case against President Trump as part of its Arctic Frost investigation into whether the then-former president had kept classified materials at Mar-a-Lago.
An FBI memo summarizing the Smith team-Brennan meeting said the purpose was "to discuss expert testimony to National Defense Information in the forthcoming trial."
In other words, Smith knew darn well that his team had indeed "met John Brennan" specifically to get Brennan's counsel and consultation. The very thing Smith denied happening.
Sen. Grassley has taken note of all of this, telling Fox News Digital, "This meeting occurred during Jack Smith's time as Special Counsel and constitutes 'consultation or counsel' from John Brennan to Smith and his team. Smith's response before the Senate Judiciary Committee was highly evasive and misleading, at minimum."
The next obvious question is: what, exactly, did Brennan tell Smith's team?
We don't know at this point, and Jack Smith certainly isn't telling.
For a man who spent years scrutinizing other people’s words, Jack Smith suddenly seems really fond of technicalities when the questions are aimed in his direction.