Jack Smith Tells Senate He Stands by Charging Trump

Former special counsel Jack Smith told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that he stands by his decisions to charge Donald Trump and will not be silenced by threats of prosecution, ABC News and NBC News reported.

In his opening statement, Smith said the charges flowed from the evidence and that he would prosecute the same facts today regardless of whether the former president were a Republican or a Democrat. “Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation,” he told senators, per NBC News. Trump has denied wrongdoing; both of Smith’s federal cases were dismissed after Trump returned to office under Justice Department policy against indicting a sitting president.

Republican senators pressed Smith over phone and financial records gathered during the Jan. 6 investigation and accused him of weaponizing the Justice Department. Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa called Smith’s work a partisan operation; Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas labeled it an “egregious abuse of power,” ABC News noted. Democrats cast the hearing as an attempt to whitewash the Capitol attack and distract from Trump’s conduct, with Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey arguing Republicans were still “perpetuating the big lie.”

One exchange veered into farce when Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri accused Smith of perjury over a Feb. 3, 2024, basketball outing, claiming texts placed Smith at an Atlanta Hawks game tied to Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis’ probe. Smith said he had no recollection of an Atlanta trip; under follow-up from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, he clarified the texts referred to an Iowa Hawkeyes game — Caitlin Clark’s then-college team — not the NBA Hawks. Klobuchar said Schmitt owed an apology; he did not offer one, both outlets reported.

Smith also defended colleagues who have been fired or targeted since Trump’s return, calling the treatment an “outrage” and arguing public servants should be protected. He declined to discuss the classified-documents probe in detail because Judge Aileen Cannon’s order still blocks release of that portion of his final report, NBC News noted.

For readers following Capitol Hill and justice storylines on Daily News, Tuesday’s hearing was Smith’s second major appearance before Congress and arrived as the Justice Department continues to investigate people involved in prior Trump probes. Verified as of Sept. 29 reports: Smith stands by charging decisions; hearing before Senate Judiciary with Grassley chairing; bipartisan insults and Hawkeyes/Hawks mix-up; classified-documents report still sealed under Cannon’s order. Whether the spectacle shifts midterm narratives — or simply hardens them — will play out in the weeks ahead.