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Jack Smith defends decision to charge Trump at Senate hearing

Smith said the evidence supported both federal cases against Trump and defended subpoenas for lawmakers’ phone records as standard investigative steps.

  • On Tuesday, former special counsel Jack Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, forcefully defending his federal prosecutions of Donald Trump and asserting his team 'developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt' that Trump 'engaged in serious crimes against our nation.'
  • Appointed in 2022 by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland, Smith led probes into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Both cases were dismissed after Trump's 2024 reelection, citing Justice Department policy against indicting sitting presidents.
  • Rep. Jim Jordan and other Republicans referred Smith to the Justice Department, alleging he misled Congress regarding 'toll records,' while Senator Eric Schmitt accused Smith of attending an Atlanta Hawks game with District Attorney Fani Willis—a claim Smith refuted by clarifying he attended an Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball game in Maryland.
  • The hearing deepened partisan divides, with Republicans promising further oversight and budget reviews of Smith's office, while Democrats defended him as defending the rule of law. Smith's supporters warned that attacking prosecutors undermines democratic institutions amid broader national polarization.
  • Smith declared he 'will not be silenced by continued threats of prosecution' from Trump and his administration, warning that the rule of law faces unprecedented challenges. Critics contend that targeting Smith and his team represents political retaliation that undermines the justice system's independence.
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In a Senate hearing, Jack Smith defended the investigation of Donald Trump after his 2020 election defeat and said he would not be intimidated by threats of criminal prosecution.

·Oslo, Norway
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Reuters broke the news in London, United Kingdom on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
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