NEWS
BREAKING: Former Special Counsel Jack Smith denies politics played role in Trump prosecutions at House hearing
Former special counsel Jack Smith told House lawmakers during a closed-door deposition Wednesday on Capitol Hill that politics played no role in his investigations and prosecutions of President Donald Trump, directly countering accusations leveled at him by Republicans.
Smith, who was questioned by House Judiciary Committee members for more than eight hours, took full ownership of the two criminal cases he brought against Trump regarding the 2020 election and alleged retention of classified documents, according to excerpts of his opening statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
“The decision to bring charges against President Trump was mine, but the basis for those charges rests entirely with President Trump and his actions, as alleged in the indictments returned by grand juries in two different districts,” Smith said.
He added: “If asked whether to prosecute a former President based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether the President was a Republican or Democrat.”
The Republican-led committee has been investigating Smith’s special counsel work for years, and Wednesday’s deposition marked the first opportunity lawmakers had to directly question him on it. Republicans were expected to raise long-held grievances with Smith, including over the former special counsel seeking gag orders against Trumpduring his presidential campaign, attempting to fast-track court proceedings and subpoenaing phone data of some GOP members of Congress.
Committee ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., emerged from the room in the afternoon and told reporters Smith had just spent hours “schooling” the committee. Raskin praised Smith for his public service and said an open hearing would have been “devastating” for Trump and those involved in the “insurrectionary activities of January 6.”