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Posted on 09/29/2026 7:22:47 AM PDT by sopo
WASHINGTON — Former special counsel Jack Smith, who brought two since-dismissed federal criminal cases against Donald Trump, told Senators on Tuesday that he would not be silenced “by continued threats of prosecution” over his handling of the investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Smith appeared before Senate Judiciary Committee amid the Justice Department’s push to target law enforcement officials involved with Smith’s investigation into Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results as well as the probe into his handling of classified documents after he left office in January 2021.
Smith said in his opening statement that he stood by his decision to bring charges against Trump, that it was the result of a deep investigation that uncovered substantive evidence.
“The status, power, prominence, or political affiliation of the subject of an investigation must play no role in the decision to investigate, prosecute, or decline to prosecute,” he said.
“Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation,” he said. Trump has said he did nothing wrong.
Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has repeatedly criticized Smith. The title of Tuesday’s hearing, which Grassley lead — “Oversight of Jack Smith’s Abuse of Authority and the Targeting of Republicans and Related Matters” — suggested a potentially combative hearing. Grassley asserts that Smith misused his investigative powers and politically targeted Republicans. Smith, who as a career prosecutor went after Republicans and Democrats, has denied such allegations.
Grassley said that Smith must answer for what the senator portrays as “rampant abuse of authority and political targeting” funded by American taxpayers. He said his goal is to expose the “weaponization” of the Justice Department for actions taken during the Biden administration.
“Jack Smith’s corrupt operation undermined the rule of law and threatened our very political institutions,” he said Tuesday.
Smith has said he believes a jury would have convicted Trump in the 2020 election-related case had it gone to trial and that the notion that his decisions were “influenced or directed by the Biden administration or other political actors is, in a word, laughable.” Smith’s final report in the election interference case stated that Trump “inspired his supporters to commit acts of physical violence” at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Trump pleaded not guilty in Smith’s Jan. 6 case and denied after the attack that he incited his supporters, calling his remarks at a rally that day “totally appropriate.” Trump later described Jan. 6 defendants as “hostages” and gave them mass clemency upon his return to
The Trump administration last year launched a so-called grand conspiracy investigation looking at actions taken by federal law enforcement officials dating back to 2016, which would fall outside the typical five-year statute of limitations for most federal crimes.
The Trump administration also has purged FBI and Justice Department officials involved in past Trump investigations. Defense attorneys for current and former officials informed a court last week that DOJ officials appear interested in probing the circumstances of an August 2022 FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, during which agents found classified documents that were at the heart of one of the since-dismissed Trump cases.
Joe diGenova, who was a federal prosecutor during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, headed up the “grand conspiracy” investigation until he left the Justice Department this month. He told NBC News that “lanes got crossed” in his final days.
In his first public testimony before Congress earlier this year, Smith told the House Judiciary Committee that he would not be intimidated and predicted that the Trump administration would attempt to launch a criminal case against him. Months later, one of Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, asked the Trump administration to investigate Jordan’s assertion that Smith “seemingly” made false statements in congressional testimony.
Smith’s lawyers said he provided “truthful, responsive answers” and that Jordan’s referral “reflects a chilling eagerness to weaponize the justice system by attacking a career, nonpartisan public servant who faithfully and fearlessly performed his duties by following the facts and the law.” Former federal prosecutors have told NBC News that the Justice Department would have a tough time bringing a perjury case against Smith.
Smith is not expected to discuss the classified documents investigation because Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ordered that that portion of his report as special counsel cannot be released. The Justice Department has taken the position that answering questions about that investigation would violate Cannon’s order.
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The treasonous bass turd needs to be silenced by the American people. The Sierra Oscar Bravo tried to overthrow the Presidency. Deport his ass.
That clown 🤡 Jack Smith belongs in prison
will he refuse to answer any questions?...............
Threats? Really?
Nobody is trying to silence the crooked Jack Smith.
They are trying to get him to TALK.
He’s just like Fauci...only cares about one thing...his big fat pension.
Exactly, Jack Smith should be prosecuted
Republicans totally unprepared. Lee is MIA as lead off, Kennedy stumbled around in irrelevancies. Durbin was actually more on point. No Rpublican led off with haymaker, though I missed Grassley’s opening, that he was illegally appointed without advice and consent of Senate.
Schmitt of Missouri upped the game of questioning, setting perjury traps.
So the psycho hatchet man is back doing his famous staring act where he categorically declares that 2020 was squeaky clean and Dementia Joe really did get 81 million “votes”?
Whatta Con
“Smith has said he believes a jury would have convicted Trump in the 2020 election-related case had it gone to trial…”
This is the only truthful statement Smith made. Not only would a DC jury find him guilty after five minutes of deliberation, a DC judge would have chosen the harshest punishment available by law. I wouldn’t put it past one to order execution even if it wasn’t lawful. Some twisted logic would be justified since the severity of the crime “calls out for justice.”
What Smith will never admit is that he and the cabal that was behind him threw out the longstanding policy of not indulging in banana republic style retribution because the revolution requires total victory, by any means necessary.
Mr. Off is a libera; fascist of the worst order. He would have been right at home in the 3rd Reicht.
Mr. Offs activity was seditious and treasonous. His conduct warrants indictment and capital punishment.
He’s answering, but he cracked me up trying to make his opening speech. He didn’t know how to turn his microphone on and his lawyer had to do it for him...lol Sen. Kennedy was priceless in his questioning. Sen. Grassley has been awesome!
Live on CSPAN...
Smith forgets the courts have been shutting him down for months because he forgets the law.
I saw that. Smith got totally busted. He likely was in Atlanta to meet Fani and decided to attend a NBA game.
may have fallen on his face with question about Hawks game
Sen Schmitt is doing an awesome job!
And by threats he’s referring to being personally brought to justice.
A true diehard international communist.
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