Jack Smith testifies before Senate on Trump investigations

Sep 28, 2026

Former special counsel Jack Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 29, 2026, defiantly defending his past prosecutions of President Donald Trump. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley accused Smith of running a corrupt, partisan operation that targeted Republicans, highlighting the secret acquisition of lawmakers' phone logs. Smith rejected these claims, stating his decisions were based strictly on evidence and warning that Trump's threats of prosecution weaken the justice system.

Jack Smith's congressional testimony

▪Former special counsel Jack Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 29, 2026, regarding his past federal investigations into President Donald Trump
▪Jack Smith testified for more than eight hours during a closed-door deposition before the House Judiciary Committee on December 17, 2025

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

▪Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin accused Republicans during the September 29, 2026, hearing of spreading conspiracy theories to whitewash the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack
▪The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on September 29, 2026, was titled "Oversight of Jack Smith’s Abuse of Authority and the Targeting of Republicans and Related Matters."

Jack Smith's defense of Trump prosecutions

▪Jack Smith stated that he would make the same decision to prosecute a former president today based on the same facts, regardless of the president's political party
▪Jack Smith defended his decisions to prosecute Donald Trump, stating that his investigations developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt of serious crimes and were based solely on evidence

Jack Smith's warnings on threats and the rule of law

▪Jack Smith declared in his prepared remarks that he will not be silenced by continued threats of criminal prosecution from President Donald Trump or his allies
▪Jack Smith warned that the rule of law faces unprecedented challenges, citing instances where individuals are threatened with criminal investigation for being perceived as opposing President Trump

Collection of lawmakers' phone records

▪Jack Smith testified that his special counsel's office sought lawmakers' phone records to corroborate evidence that Donald Trump and his co-conspirators sought to exploit the January 6, 2021, violence
▪Jack Smith's special counsel office obtained non-content telephone toll records, which document call dates, times, and durations but not call contents, of members of Congress

Grassley's accusations against Jack Smith

▪Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley accused Jack Smith's team of leaving a classified facility open, causing a security violation
▪Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley accused Jack Smith of running a "corrupt operation" that undermined the rule of law and targeted the Republican Party apparatus

John Kennedy's questioning of Jack Smith

▪Senator John Kennedy questioned Jack Smith about Smith's wife's political bias, noting she directed a documentary about former first lady Michelle Obama, which Smith declined to discuss
▪Republican Senator John Kennedy concluded his questioning of Jack Smith by stating that Smith made him want to throw up in his mouth

National Archives records sweep

▪Whistleblower disclosures to Senator Chuck Grassley indicated that Jack Smith's investigators obtained National Archives records containing communications between nearly 50 journalists and Trump administration officials
▪The National Archives produced the text message records from White House phones on August 21, 2023, following a June 2, 2023, subpoena from Jack Smith's office

Criminal referral against Jack Smith

▪Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed in July 2026 that the Justice Department was investigating the criminal referral submitted by Republicans against Jack Smith
▪Representative Jim Jordan referred Jack Smith to the Justice Department in July 2026 for potential prosecution, alleging Smith made false statements regarding the collection of lawmakers' text messages

Debatable claims

▪The Justice Department should prosecute Jack Smith for allegedly misleading Congress
▪Jack Smith's investigations of Donald Trump were a legitimate pursuit of justice
▪Jack Smith's collection of journalists' communications went too far in compromising press freedom
▪Jack Smith's subpoenas for lawmakers' phone records were a justified investigative step