Jack Smith Defends Trump Prosecutions in Contentious Senate Hearing

Former special counsel Jack Smith defended his decisions to prosecute President Donald Trump during a contentious, roughly four-hour hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

“I stand by my decisions as special counsel, including my decision to bring charges against President Trump,” Smith said in his opening statement. He said the cases were brought without regard to Trump’s political affiliation or 2024 candidacy and that he would make the same decision based on the same facts involving a Republican or Democrat.

Republican senators challenged Smith over investigative methods used in the probe of Trump’s actions following the 2020 election, including subpoenas seeking lawmakers’ records and financial information from Republican groups. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley accused Smith’s operation of political motives and said his own investigation would continue. Smith said his office followed standard procedures and sought records as part of a criminal investigation into the events surrounding Jan. 6, 2021.

Democrats focused on the Capitol attack and Trump’s alleged efforts to delay certification of Joe Biden’s victory. Smith rejected claims that his work was partisan, noting that key witnesses in the election case were Republicans.

Smith also said he regretted making few public statements while the investigations were underway because that allowed critics to mischaracterize his team’s work. He defended members of his staff amid firings and political scrutiny.

Trump pleaded not guilty in both the election-interference case and the classified-documents case. The prosecutions ended after his election to a second term in November 2024.