LEILA FADEL, HOST:
We start with the first public testimony from former Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith about his investigations into President Trump. For more than four hours, Smith defended his work, which he said followed the facts and the law. NPR justice correspondent Ryan Lucas reports.
RYAN LUCAS, BYLINE: In his appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, Jack Smith made clear that he stands by his decision to bring charges against President Trump, and he rejected any allegation that his work was driven by politics.
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JACK SMITH: I made my decisions without regard to President Trump's political association, activities, beliefs or candidacy in the 2024 election.
LUCAS: Smith's team brought two cases against Trump - one for allegedly trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and the other for allegedly hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home.
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SMITH: Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in criminal activity. If asked whether to prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether that president was a Democrat or a Republican.
LUCAS: No one, Smith said, should be above the law, and the law required that President Trump be held to account. Smith was unable to go into any detail on Volume 2 of his report, the section about the classified documents probe, because of a standing court order. On Capitol Hill, support for Smith has long cut along party lines, and that held true at Thursday's hearing. Democrats voiced their strong backing for Smith and his investigations, while Republicans attack Smith as a partisan actor and said he targeted Trump for political reasons. Here's the panel's top Republican, Ohio's Jim Jordan.
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JIM JORDAN: It was always about politics. And to get President Trump, they were willing to do just about anything.
LUCAS: President Trump was not present, but he did appear to be monitoring the hearing. In a post on social media, during the proceedings, Trump called Smith a deranged animal who shouldn't be able to practice law, and Trump said hopefully, Attorney General Pam Bondi is looking into Smith. Asked whether he believes the Trump Justice Department will find some way to indict him, Smith had this to say.
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SMITH: I believe they will do everything in their power to do that because they've been ordered to by the president.
LUCAS: Still, Smith said he would not be intimidated, and his only regret, he said, is not expressing enough appreciation for the prosecutors and FBI agents he worked with, many of whom have been fired by the Trump administration. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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