- Former special counsel Jack Smith will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of its investigation into his probes of President Trump.
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Smith → testify → Trump
- Smith secured two indictments against Mr. Trump after the end of his first term in January 2020: the first involved his handling of sensitive government documents after leaving the White House and the second involved the president's alleged attempt to subvert the transfer of presidential power after the 2020 election.
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second → secure → election
Mr. Trump pleaded not guilty to charges in both cases, and they ended after he was elected to a second term in November 2024.
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he → plead → November
- Republicans have accused Smith of abusing his authority and taken issue with his team's from some GOP senators.
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Republicans → accuse → senators
House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, for criminal prosecution in July over statements he made during a deposition in December about the phone records he obtained.
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he → make → records
Those records do not include the contents of phone calls or messages, only data like telephone numbers and the time and duration of calls.
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records → include → calls
- Tuesday's hearing is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on Capitol Hill.
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hearing → schedule → Hill
How to watch the Jack Smith hearing
Smith expected to defend work on Trump probes in opening statement
Smith is expected to defend his work on the dual Trump investigations, according to a copy of his opening remarks obtained by CBS News.
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Smith → watch → News
"I stand by my decisions as Special Counsel, including my decision to bring charges against President Trump.
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I → stand → Trump
I made these decisions without regard to President Trump's political association, activities, beliefs, or candidacy in the 2024 presidential election," Smith is expected to say in his opening remarks.
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Smith → make → remarks
"Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in criminal activity.
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Trump → develop → activity
If asked whether to prosecute a former President based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether that President was a Republican or a Democrat."
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President → ask → facts
Smith is also expected to defend himself against Mr. Trump's continued public statements calling for charges to be brought against him.
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charges → expect → him
"I will not be silenced by the continued threats of prosecution from the President or others," Smith is expected to say, adding that "it is my belief that the rule of law faces challenges unlike any we have experienced in our lifetime."
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we → silence → lifetime
"Individuals are threatened with criminal investigation because they are perceived to have opposed the President.
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they → threaten → President
Predetermined outcomes increasingly seem to take precedence over the Justice Department's long-standing core values, traditions, and norm," Smith's prepared opening remarks read.
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remarks → seem → values
"History teaches that the rule of law is rarely destroyed all at once.
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rule → teach → law
It is often weakened by attacks on the institutions and public servants sworn to uphold it.
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It → weaken → it
"
What Smith told Congress in 2 previous hearings
Smith has sat down to answer lawmakers' questions about the cases involving Mr. Trump twice before.
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Smith → tell → Trump
In December, he
during a closed-door deposition before the House Judiciary Committee.
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he → dure → Committee
During that deposition, Smith was asked about subpoenas his team issued for toll records for certain members of Congress.
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team → ask → Congress
He told the committee that he did not seek a search warrant for the content of text messages from lawmakers, only the toll records.
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he → tell → lawmakers
But Republicans have accused Smith of lying during his appearance because of information revealed by the Senate Judiciary Committee in July.
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Republicans → accuse → July
The Justice Department provided documents to the Senate committee that showed Smith's team had sought and obtained text messages from the National Archives and Records Administration, which included messages from 44 members of Congress — Republicans and Democrats.
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which → provide → Congress
Smith addressed his decision to analyze Republicans' phone records in January, when he
in a public setting.
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Smith → address → setting
"The conspiracy that we were investigating, it was relevant to get toll records to understand the scope of that conspiracy, who they were seeking to coerce, who they were seeking, to influence who was seeking to help them," Smith said.
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Smith → investigate → them
He said securing the phone records, which only contained data about the calls and not their contents, is "common practice" in complex investigations.
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which → say → investigations
During that hearing, Smith also defended his handling of the investigations involving Mr. Trump and told House members he pursued the unprecedented charges against the president "because the evidence established that he willfully broke the law — the very laws he took an oath to uphold.
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he → defend → oath
"
Smith unlikely to answer questions on his report on classified documents case
One topic that Smith will be unlikely to comment on Tuesday will be his final report detailing his investigation into Mr. Trump's alleged mishandling of sensitive government documents and alleged obstruction of the ensuing federal probe.
In February, a federal judge permanently blocked the Justice Department from releasing that portion of his report, granting a request from Mr. Trump and two of his former co-defendants in the case against him, Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliviera, to prohibit the release of the second volume of Smith's report.
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judge → answer → report
That order barred then-Attorney General Pam Bondi, or any of her successors, from releasing or sharing that portion of the report.
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order → bar → report
During Smith's closed-door testimony last year, Smith's legal team said their client was barred from discussing that portion of the report, or any drafts of it, unless the information was already made public through other means.
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information → say → means
Trump has said he wants Smith prosecuted
Smith is frequently targeted by Mr. Trump, who lobs insults at the former special counsel and has said he should be criminally prosecuted.
The president has called Smith "deranged," a "thug" and a "sleazebag."
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president → say → Smith
Following Smith's January testimony, Mr. Trump said he should be "prosecuted for his actions."
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he → follow → actions
The president claimed the former special counsel "committed large scale perjury."
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counsel → claim → perjury
The Justice Department under Mr. Trump has pursued investigations into several of the president's perceived political enemies, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
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Department → pursue → Comey
But criminal cases brought against the two were
.
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cases → bring → two
Comey was in April over a photo he posted to Instagram that showed seashells arranged on the beach to form the numbers "86 47."Comey
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that → post → numbers
Smith's final report said Trump could have been convicted in 2020 election case
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Trump → say → case
wrote in the first volume of his report, which focused on the 2020 election case, that "[b]ut for Mr. Trump's election and imminent return to the Presidency, the Office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial.
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evidence → write → trial
The former special counsel also rejected accusations his actions were influenced by the top ranks of the Justice Department under then-President Joe Biden and called the claim that the Biden administration directed his actions "laughable."
"The throughline of all of Mr. Trump's criminal efforts was deceit — knowingly false claims of election," Smith said in his report.
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Smith → reject → report
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
