Smith Defends Prosecution of Trump, Accuses GOP Senators of Misinformation During Hearing

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, staunchly defending his investigation into former President Donald Trump and rejecting accusations that his office acted with political bias. Sworn in by Senator Chuck Grassley, Smith delivered an opening statement asserting that evidence proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump committed serious crimes against the nation.

“I am not a politician, and I have no partisan loyalty,” Smith said. “Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation.” He added that he would prosecute a former president today based on the same facts, regardless of party affiliation.

Smith also expressed outrage over the recent purge of his colleagues from the Justice Department and FBI, stating that team members had been targeted illegally and lost their jobs. “The fact that they have been targeted illegally… by this Department of Justice is an outrage,” he told senators.

During the hearing, Republican Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri confronted Smith with text messages allegedly proving he attended an NBA game in Atlanta in February 2024. Schmitt argued that the game coincided with revelations about Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade, implying a conflict of interest. Smith denied attending the game, though he acknowledged he may have flown through Atlanta.

The exchange turned chaotic when Schmitt displayed a poster board of text messages asking if seats were reserved for Smith. However, Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar pointed out that Schmitt appeared to confuse the University of Iowa Hawkeyes with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. Klobuchar noted that Smith had actually attended a women’s college basketball game in Maryland to watch star Caitlin Clark play. She demanded an apology, stating, “For a U.S. senator to have false information and imply… that you were somehow involved… deserves an apology.” Schmitt later stated he would provide the information in a follow-up.

On the topic of the election case, Smith told Senator Chris Coons that Republicans would have been the strongest witnesses had the case gone to trial. He specifically cited Rusty Bowers, the former speaker of the Arizona House, and former Vice President Mike Pence for their roles in resisting efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Schmitt also pressed Smith on the acquisition of phone records for Republican lawmakers. Smith defended the subpoenas as crucial for proving criminal intent, explaining that the non-content records showed communications between Trump and his co-conspirators attempting to exploit the January 6 riot. When pressed by Senator Dick Durbin on whether wiretaps were used, Smith confirmed they were not, describing the obtained data as non-content records.

Additionally, Senator Grassley questioned Smith about the collection of more than 4,700 donor checks. Smith maintained that obtaining this financial information was necessary to conduct a thorough criminal investigation into one of the most serious crimes in the nation’s history. Senator John Kennedy also questioned Smith regarding his wife’s political views, but Smith declined to discuss his family, reiterating his commitment to nonpartisan prosecution.

Smith concluded his testimony by warning that the rule of law faces unprecedented challenges, noting that predetermined outcomes now seem to take precedence over the Justice Department’s core traditions.