Former Special Counsel Jack Smith has defended his investigations of President Donald Trump in a United States Senate hearing, though Republican lawmakers accused him of abusing his authority.
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lawmakers → defend → authority
On Tuesday, Smith told the Senate Judiciary Committee that his investigations followed Justice Department policy and were based on evidence.
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investigations → tell → evidence
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who → investigate → firing
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He rejected accusations that political considerations influenced his decision to bring criminal charges against Trump, the first US president ever to be indicted.
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considerations → refuse → Trump
“Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation,” Smith said.
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Smith → develop → nation
A former war crimes prosecutor at The Hague, Smith was appointed special counsel in 2022 to independently investigate allegations about Trump’s behaviour after the end of his first term as president.
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Smith → appoint → president
In 2023, Smith ultimately brought two criminal indictments against Trump: one for his alleged attempts to subvert the 2020 presidential election and a second for his handling of classified documents while out of office.
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Smith → bring → office
Separately, two further criminal indictments were brought against Trump.
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indictments → bring → Trump
One, in New York, accused Trump of falsifying business records to conceal unflattering information during his 2016 presidential campaign.
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One → accuse → campaign
A second, in Georgia, also concerned allegations that Trump and his allies sought to overturn the 2020 election results.
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Trump → concern → results
Only one case – the New York indictment – was brought to trial, resulting in felony convictions.
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case → bring → convictions
The rest were dropped after Trump was re-elected in 2024.
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Trump → drop → 2024
Smith himself resigned shortly before Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025.
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Smith → resign → January
The Justice Department has a policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents.
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Department → have → presidents
Trump has denied all the charges against him and has accused Smith and former President Joe Biden of orchestrating a political “witch-hunt” against him.
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Trump → deny → him
Republicans focused much of Tuesday’s hearing on Smith’s investigative methods, including subpoenas that obtained phone records associated with members of Congress and financial information from Republican donors and organisations.
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that → focus → donors
Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley accused Smith’s team of using its investigations to “map out and target the entire Republican Party”.
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Grassley → accuse → Party
Smith, however, maintained that his office had a duty to pursue evidence relevant to the investigation.
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office → maintain → investigation
He also defended obtaining phone records from lawmakers.
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He → defend → lawmakers
He said the records helped corroborate evidence that Trump and his allies contacted members of Congress as they sought to delay certification of the 2020 election results.
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they → say → results
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, whose records were among those sought, pressed Smith about why lawmakers were not notified of the subpoenas.
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lawmakers → seek → subpoenas
Smith said prosecutors feared Trump and his associates could destroy evidence or interfere with the investigation if the subpoenas were disclosed.
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subpoenas → say → investigation
“Is it a crime to be a Republican?” Cruz asked.
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Cruz → ask → ?
“Absolutely not,” Smith said.
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Smith → say → ?
Smith added that his office consulted the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section before obtaining the records.
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office → add → records
The information Smith sought reveals the time and duration of the telephone calls but not their content.
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Smith → seek → calls
Critics have pointed out that there was no law against seeking such records during the course of Smith’s investigation.
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Critics → point → investigation
During his testimony, Smith not only defended his investigative decisions but also accused the Trump administration of retaliating against the prosecutors and agents who worked on the two cases.
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who → defend → cases
He argued that members of his former team had been fired for “doing their jobs”.
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members → argue → jobs
Those firings have prompted legal challenges.
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firings → prompt → challenges
In March, three former agents with the FBI who investigated Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election filed a class-action lawsuit alleging they were illegally terminated as part of a “retribution campaign”.
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they → investigate → campaign
The lawsuit seeks their reinstatement.
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lawsuit → seek → reinstatement
Smith, who said Trump has threatened him with jail, framed the scrutiny of his work as part of a broader challenge to the independence of the Justice Department.
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Trump → say → Department
“As I appear before you today, it is my belief that the rule of law faces challenges unlike any we have experienced in our lifetime,” Smith said.
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Smith → appear → lifetime
“I will not be silenced by continued threats of prosecution from the president or others.”
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I → silence → president
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