Jack Smith Defends Prosecuting Trump Over His Criminal Scheme to Steal an Election
Zeteo11 hrs
Jack Smith Testifies Before House Panel on Trump Probes
Did Smith prove Trump's guilt with evidence, or was this partisan lawfare and government overreach?
Above: Former Special Counsel Jack Smith on Capitol Hill on Dec. 17, 2025. Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Republicans blocked Smith from public testimony because transparency would expose their lies and complicity, as Smith established in his opening statement. Smith detailed Trump's criminal schemes to overturn the 2020 election and obstruct justice with the classified documents, evidence of which he could produce. The evidence speaks for itself — Trump chose his own fate through his actions, not political persecution.
Republican narrative
Smith abused his office with partisan lawfare, using far-fetched legal theories to interfere in the 2024 election. His investigations were politically driven from the start, just like other Democrat prosecutions. Secretly obtaining phone records of the speaker and Republican senators proves this was government overreach, not legitimate law enforcement. Nothing he says behind closed doors can change that.