In a closed-door deposition before the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, former Special Counsel Jack Smith did exactly what critics of Donald Trump feared most: he stuck to the facts. No theatrics. No partisan language. Just evidence, law, and accountability. Walking into a deeply hostile setting on Capitol Hill, Smith methodically explained why Trump was charged and why those charges had nothing to do with Joe Biden, Democrats, or any imagined “deep state.”
Smith was unambiguous. The decision to indict Trump, he said, was his alone, and it was based entirely on Trump’s own conduct. The investigation, according to Smith, uncovered evidence proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the 2020 election and obstruct the peaceful transfer of power. That statement alone cuts through years of misinformation and reframes January 6 as not just chaos, but an organized effort to subvert democracy.
On the classified documents case, Smith again rejected the casual excuses often repeated in conservative media. This was not about misplaced paperwork or confusion over records. The evidence, he explained, showed repeated attempts to obstruct justice. That distinction matters, because obstruction is not accidental it’s intentional. And intent is the cornerstone of criminal responsibility.
Smith also dismantled the “witch hunt” talking point directly. He told lawmakers that party affiliation played no role in his decisions and that the same charges would have been brought regardless of whether Trump was a Republican or a Democrat. Law and facts guided the process, not politics. For a GOP increasingly reliant on grievance narratives, that principle seems almost radical.
Perhaps the most striking moment came when Smith addressed why his office sought phone records connected to Republican members of Congress. Trump and his allies, Smith explained, were actively contacting lawmakers as part of their effort to delay election certification. “I didn’t choose those members,” he said. “President Trump did.” That statement places responsibility exactly where it belongs.
While Republicans continue to target Smith personally backing retaliatory actions and attacking the rule of law itself his testimony underscored a simple truth: accountability is not persecution. Rep. Jared Moskowitz later described the deposition as “boring,” and that may be the highest compliment possible. In Jack Smith’s hands, the facts don’t shout. They speak calmly, clearly and they indict.
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