Jack Smith Defends Trump Charges in Senate Hearing

Was Smith's probe a Watergate-scale DOJ abuse, or did Republicans just smear a composed prosecutor?

Published SEP 29

Jack Smith Defends Trump Charges in Senate Hearing

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Above: Jack Smith testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 29. Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Spin

Republican narrative

Jack Smith made the Watergate scandal seem almost tame, turning the DOJ into a political weapon against Trump and 4,782 Americans whose common link was donating to Republicans. His team secretly subpoenaed lawmakers' phone records, issued Apple preservation orders covering all devices on an account and kept a judge in the dark about targets. Under oath, Smith could not recall key requests, leaving a massive Fourth Amendment abuse unanswered.

Mike Lee on X

Chuck Grassley on X

Catherine Herridge on X

Democratic narrative

Republicans tried to turn Jack Smith's testimony into a prosecution of the prosecutor, but Smith stayed composed and stood firmly behind his investigation. Ted Cruz's attack on subpoenas for lawmakers' phone records went nowhere, while Eric Schmitt's perjury accusation over a basketball game appeared to collapse over confusion between the Hawks and Hawkeyes. The attacks failed to land, exposing a hearing more focused on smearing Smith than confronting Trump's conduct.

Bill Madden on X

Aaron Blake on X

Corey Booker on X