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Jack Smith Defends Trump Probes in House Testimony

Was Jack Smith's prosecution a partisan witch hunt, or a fair investigation that would have secured a conviction?
Jack Smith Defends Trump Probes in House Testimony
Above: Jack Smith (C) arrives to testify in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Dec. 17, 2025. Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images

The Spin

Republican narrative

Smith's prosecutions were politically motivated lawfare riddled with false claims and procedural abuses. Smith rushed to the Supreme Court to beat the election calendar, mischaracterized an unarmed protest as an attack, relied on obstruction statutes the Supreme Court later rejected, and spied on Republican lawmakers while hiding their identities from judges. His admission that star witness Cassidy Hutchinson provided inadmissible secondhand hearsay exposes the entire case as a partisan witch hunt.

Democratic narrative

Smith conducted a fair, impartial investigation, following the facts and the law without political interference. The career prosecutor built his case around credible Republican witnesses who put country over party, obtained lawmaker phone records through proper DOJ channels with Speech or Debate protections, and never communicated with Biden or the White House. Smith's robust defense of his work demonstrates he would have secured a conviction had Trump not won reelection.

Metaculus Prediction



The Controversies



Political split

LEFT

RIGHT



© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0

© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.18.0