USA29 September, 20262 min read
Jack Smith Testifies Before Senate Judiciary, Says Proof Shows Trump Serious Crimes
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Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding Trump's prosecutions. He said the investigation proved beyond reasonable doubt that Trump committed serious crimes.
7 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on White House Officials Question How Long Katie Zacharia Will Stay Press Secretary After First Briefing →
Smith faces GOP attacks
Former special counsel Jack Smith testified Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of its investigation into his probes of President Trump.
“Smith told senators that he has ‘no partisan loyalties.’”
Smith told senators he has “no partisan loyalties,” and he said he and his investigators “developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley accused Smith of taking “partisanship to a new level,” while Sen. Dick Durbin accused Republicans of trying to “contort themselves to support President Trump's lies.”
Smith also told Sen. Chris Coons that if his election case had gone to trial, the strongest witnesses would have been Republicans, and he specifically cited Rusty Bowers and former Vice President Mike Pence.
Phone records and intent
Smith defended his office’s access to phone records from lawmakers around the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, as GOP members accused him of “abuse of authority” and targeting of Republicans.
Smith said the records were crucial because “They show who a call was to, who a call was from and the length of that call,” and he added that the records corroborated evidence that Trump and his co-conspirators were seeking to “exploit the violence on Jan. 6 in furtherance of their criminal scheme.”
Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, pressed Smith and told him, “You make me want to throw up in my mouth.”
Smith said the records were “non-content records,” and he said it was “unclear” how many phones were being used and that there were “incomplete” records from the White House switchboard.
Threats, referrals, and fallout
Smith told the Senate Judiciary Committee he will not be silenced by threats of prosecution from the Trump administration, saying, “I will not be silenced by the continued threats of prosecution from the president or others.”
Reuters reported that Sen. Chuck Grassley said his office had information that Smith’s office also secured records on Republican donors and journalists’ communications with government officials, and Grassley said, “This wasn't a normal prosecution.”
Smith said his investigations followed Justice Department policy and were not influenced by politics, and he condemned the firings of investigators in his office, accusing the Trump administration of “vilification of the agents, prosecutors and staff who served on my team.”
The hearing also came as Republicans pressed questions about Smith’s access to lawmakers’ phone records, and Reuters said Smith’s lawyers have said Smith provided truthful information and was not required to divulge information that lawmakers did not ask about.