Today in Washington DC, former special counsel Jack Smith took the spotlight in a publicly broadcast congressional hearing where he defended his work investigating President Donald Trump. The event was tense, emotional, and sharply divided along political lines — a vivid snapshot of how deeply split the U.S. remains over Trump and the justice system.
Smith’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee was the first time he has answered questions about those investigations on camera. For many hours, lawmakers from both parties grilled him, applauded him, and sharply criticized him as cameras rolled.
Smith Stands by His Decisions
At the core of Smith’s testimony was a simple message: he said he stands by every major choice he made as special counsel, especially his decision to bring criminal charges against Donald Trump while Trump was out of office.
Smith told Congress that his investigation uncovered evidence showing, “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump engaged in criminal activity. He said he would make the same decision again today, no matter which political party the president belonged to.
Smith explained that he took on the cases not because of politics, but because he believed the evidence demanded action. That included the conclusion that Trump’s conduct around the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol crossed legal lines.
Two Big Investigations
Smith had been appointed in 2022 by the Justice Department to run two separate federal investigations into Trump. One was about Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, which included how Trump and his allies tried to block certification of the vote.
The other looked at Trump’s handling of classified documents after he left office and his refusal to return them when ordered.
In both cases, grand juries had returned indictments — formal criminal charges — naming Trump as the defendant. But those cases were later dropped after Trump won the 2024 election because U.S. Justice Department policy says a sitting president generally can’t be prosecuted while in office. Smith then resigned shortly before Trump’s inauguration.
Republicans Push Back
Throughout the hearing, Republican lawmakers on the committee pushed back hard against Smith’s account. They claimed his investigations were driven by politics and accused him of targeting Trump unfairly.
Some questioned Smith’s methods, including his team’s decision to subpoena phone metadata from certain Republican lawmakers connected to Trump’s efforts — a move Republicans said was intrusive and improper.
One Republican member even suggested that Trump’s actions were protected political speech, not criminal conduct — a claim Smith didn’t fully get to answer during that line of questioning.
Democrats Defend Rule of Law
On the other side of the aisle, Democratic members praised Smith’s integrity and the principle that nobody, including a former president, should be above the law.
They argued Smith followed evidence, not ideology, and stood by the idea that the justice system has to operate fairly to maintain trust in American democracy.
One Democratic lawmaker told Smith he had “nothing to be ashamed of” and commended him for his service, while criticizing fellow Republicans for defending conduct tied to January 6.
Trump’s Response
The hearing didn’t happen in a political vacuum. Throughout Smith’s testimony, Donald Trump reacted publicly, calling Smith’s efforts unfair and alleging — without evidence — that Smith had lied and should be punished. Trump’s social media posts echoed the sharp partisan divide that has characterized much of this chapter in U.S. politics.
