President Donald Trump called Thursday for former special counsel Jack Smith to be prosecuted following hours of intense questioning before the House Judiciary Committee over Smith’s decision to bring criminal charges against Trump in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election.
Smith appeared before the committee to answer questions about whether his investigations into Trump were politically motivated. Lawmakers pressed him on the scope and conduct of his probe, which included examining Trump’s phone records and pursuing information related to Republican lawmakers and Trump allies.
After the hearing, Trump reacted forcefully, accusing Smith of abusing his authority and causing widespread harm. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Smith’s testimony left no doubt that he should face prosecution.
“Based on his testimony today, there is no question that Deranged Jack Smith should be prosecuted for his actions,” Trump wrote. “He destroyed the lives of many innocent people, which has been his history as a prosecutor. At a minimum, he committed large scale perjury!”
Smith previously led investigations into Trump tied to the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and Trump’s handling of classified documents. During that process, the Biden administration turned over Trump’s government-issued phone to Smith, and Smith also subpoenaed Trump’s personal phone records.
Earlier in the day, Trump escalated his rhetoric further, saying Smith should no longer be allowed to practice law. Trump accused Smith of acting with blatant bias and suggested that his conduct would have led to severe consequences if he were a Republican.
“If he were a Republican, his license would be taken away from him, and far worse!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Hopefully the Attorney General is looking at what he’s done, including some of the crooked and corrupt witnesses that he was attempting to use in his case against me. The whole thing was a Democrat SCAM — A big price should be paid by them for what they have put our Country through!”
According to the House Judiciary Committee, Smith approved subpoenas for toll records involving members of Congress without considering whether those communications were protected under the Constitution. Toll records typically show the duration and timing of phone calls, as well as who was communicating, but not the content of the calls.
Committee Republicans argued that Smith’s actions demonstrated a targeted effort focused almost exclusively on Trump. Ahead of the hearing, the committee said Smith narrowed his investigation to prioritize indicting Trump before the election.
“Smith chose to target President Trump, and only President Trump, in his electors case—setting aside other targets so that he could secure an indictment of President Trump in advance of the election,” the committee said.
Ultimately, Smith’s case unraveled after the election. Four felony charges related to Trump’s actions following the 2020 election were dropped in the weeks after Trump decisively defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 race.
At the time the charges were dismissed, Trump described the case as a historic abuse of the justice system and said it represented a dark moment for the country.
“It was a political hijacking, and a low point in the History of our Country that such a thing could have happened,” Trump said. “And yet, I persevered, against all odds, and WON.”
The Judiciary Committee’s hearing and Trump’s response have renewed scrutiny of Smith’s role and raised fresh questions about the use of federal prosecutorial power during a heated election cycle.
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