Former Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith laid it all on the line Thursday before the House Judiciary Committee, telling lawmakers that Donald Trump was prosecuted because he “willfully broke the very laws he swore to uphold.”
Smith, 56, oversaw investigations into Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and his retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after leaving office — cases later dismissed when Trump returned to power. But in front of Congress, Smith delivered a scathing, detailed account of the former president’s conduct.
“President Trump was charged because the evidence established that he willfully broke the very laws that he took an oath to uphold,” Smith said, emphasizing that his office had proof beyond a reasonable doubt of criminal activity.
He continued, “Rather than accept his defeat in the 2020 presidential election, President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power.”
Turning to the classified documents case, Smith accused Trump of repeatedly attempting “to obstruct justice to conceal his continued retention of those documents.” He framed his testimony as a corrective measure, aimed at dispelling false narratives and expressing the anger and frustration he felt over Trump seeking “revenge” against staff who cooperated with investigators.
Smith’s closed-door deposition in December had already painted a damning picture, but his public testimony marked the first time Congress and the American public could hear him lay out the evidence in detail. He insisted that, had the investigations run their full course, his team would have secured convictions.
Trump, of course, pushed back hard. Ahead of the hearing, he demanded a federal judge block the DOJ from releasing Smith’s final report on the classified documents case, claiming it would “irreparably harm” him and his co-defendants because it was “inherently biased.”
Florida District Judge Aileen Cannon — the same Trump-appointed justice who dismissed the case in 2024, citing the special counsel’s appointment as unconstitutional — previously blocked even a redacted version from reaching Congress. She now holds the final word on whether Smith’s report will ever be made public.
Despite legal and political roadblocks, Smith’s testimony established that Trump intentionally broke the law, tried to obstruct justice, and retaliated against anyone who cooperated with investigators.
“Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in criminal activity,” Smith said, a line designed to cut through the spin and drive home the seriousness of his findings.
Watch the video below:
