Jack Smith, the former special counsel who prosecuted President Donald Trump, faced House lawmakers Wednesday in a closed-door deposition, firmly defending his decisions and insisting politics played no role in his investigations.
According to Fox News, speaking to the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, Smith took full responsibility for the two criminal cases he brought against Trump — one concerning the 2020 election and another regarding alleged retention of classified documents.
“The decision to bring charges against President Trump was mine, but the basis for those charges rests entirely with President Trump and his actions, as alleged in the indictments returned by grand juries in two different districts,” Smith said, according to portions of his opening statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
He emphasized impartiality, noting, “If asked whether to prosecute a former President based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether the President was a Republican or Democrat.”
The deposition, expected to last several hours, is set to include tough questioning from Republicans.
Lawmakers are reportedly prepared to challenge Smith on his efforts to seek gag orders against Trump during the former president’s campaign, attempts to expedite court proceedings, and subpoenas for phone data from some GOP members of Congress.
Despite the tense subject matter, Democrats on the committee downplayed the drama of the proceedings. Upon leaving the room, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., described the deposition as “boring” so far.
Smith’s testimony comes amid ongoing political attacks from Trump and his allies, who have repeatedly accused the former special counsel of bias in handling the high-profile prosecutions.
By reiterating that his decisions were based strictly on evidence and legal obligations, Smith sought to draw a clear line between his actions and political influence, reinforcing that the cases were grounded in law rather than partisanship.
The deposition represents another chapter in the ongoing congressional scrutiny of Trump’s legal entanglements, as lawmakers probe both the president’s actions and the processes that led to his indictments.
Smith is expected to remain under questioning for hours as the committee digs deeper into the high-stakes decisions behind the Trump prosecutions.
This story is still developing.
