Jack Smith Testifies to House Judiciary Committee Defending Charges Against Trump
Special Counsel Jack Smith testified behind closed doors to the House Judiciary Committee, with the transcript released on December 31, 2025. Smith stated he never spoke to President Biden about the cases he brought against former President Donald Trump. Appointed in November 2022, Smith initiated two federal prosecutions against Trump—one concerning classified documents and the other concerning election interference. Trump also faced additional charges in Georgia and New York, and was later convicted of 34 felonies in the Manhattan case.
Smith defended the charges in the two federal cases, asserting there was proof beyond a reasonable doubt in both prosecutions. He warned that allowing election interference to go unpunished would become the new norm and have catastrophic consequences for democracy. He emphasized that he operated without interference from Attorney General Merrick Garland or other top Department of Justice officials.
The election-interference case faced delays due to pretrial motions, including a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. The classified-documents case was affected by rulings from Florida judge Aileen Cannon, who barred the public release of the chapter on those charges. Smith's attorney indicated that the Department of Justice advised avoiding discussion of the classified-documents evidence in light of Cannon's ruling; accordingly, Smith said he would answer questions within the department's guidance.
In over eight hours of testimony, Smith maintained that he had no political motive and would indict a former president today based on the same facts. He highlighted efforts by Trump and associates to call members of Congress in attempts to delay certification of the election. Responding to Republican concerns about investigators obtaining phone data of several members of Congress, Smith clarified that only phone numbers and call durations were collected—not the content—and that the data showed Trump urged allies to delay certification during the events of January 6.
