Former Special Counsel Jack Smith Testifies Before Congress
Jack Smith testified publicly before the House Judiciary Committee on January 22, 2026, defending his investigations into President Trump across roughly five hours of sometimes heated questioning, a month after a closed-door appearance before the same committee. "Donald Trump is the person who caused January 6," Smith stated, adding "No one should be above the law." Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) framed the prosecutions as political; Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) defended Smith's conduct. Trump responded on social media calling for Smith's prosecution. The federal cases against Trump were dropped after his 2024 election victory per DOJ policy barring prosecution of sitting presidents. Six months later, on July 22, 2026, Jordan formally referred Smith to the Justice Department for possible prosecution over alleged false statements in that testimony, a move Raskin called baseless and vindictive. On Sept. 29, 2026, Smith testified publicly before the Senate Judiciary Committee at a hearing Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) titled "Oversight of Jack Smith's Abuse of Authority and the Targeting of Republicans and Related Matters." Republicans focused on Arctic Frost, the FBI inquiry that preceded Smith's election case, and on his team obtaining toll records of Republican lawmakers' phones and the content of some members' texts to White House staff. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan had referred Smith to the Justice Department in July, alleging he misled the House about those texts. Smith said he stood by both indictments and would not be "silenced by the continued threats of prosecution." Ranking member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) noted that Smith had offered to testify publicly for more than a year.
“You have done an enormous damage, and I believe your conduct represents the most egregious abuse of power in the history of the Department of Justice.”