"Jack Smith calmly destroys Trump’s “witch hunt” fantasy in testimony before Congress"

 

Yesterday, Jack Smith walked into the lion’s den of a Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee meeting and calmly laid out Trump’s crimes for the world to see. Behind closed doors on Capitol Hill, former Special Prosecutor Jack Smith did what Republicans desperately hoped he wouldn’t: he methodically, unapologetically, and calmly reminded them why Donald Trump was charged in the first place — and why no amount of political revenge can erase the facts.

In an hours-long deposition before the Committee, the former special counsel made one thing crystal clear: Trump is responsible for Trump actions. Not Joe Biden. Not Democrats. Not the “deep state.” Just Trump. “The decision to bring charges against President Trump was mine,” Smith told lawmakers, “But the basis for those charges rests entirely with President Trump and his actions.” Translation: if Trump didn’t want indictments, he shouldn’t have committed the crime (allegedly).

Smith didn’t hedge. He didn’t flinch. He said his team uncovered evidence proving “beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the 2020 election and block the lawful transfer of power — a stunning reminder of just how close the country came to losing its democracy. On the classified documents case, Smith said the evidence was “powerful” and that Trump “repeatedly tried to obstruct justice.” Not misplaced papers. Not a misunderstanding. Obstruction.

And for Republicans screaming “witch hunt,” Smith torched that talking point too. He said he would have brought the same charges if Trump were a Democrat or a Republican. Facts and law, not politics, guided the investigation — a concept that seems increasingly foreign to today’s GOP. 

Smith also defended his team’s decision to seek phone records from Republican lawmakers, explaining that Trump and his allies were calling members of Congress to further their criminal scheme to delay certification. “I didn’t choose those Members,” Smith said. “President Trump did.” That line alone should haunt every lawmaker in the room.

Meanwhile, Republicans are openly targeting Smith himself, cheering on an unprecedented retaliation campaign that has included sanctions against his law firm and calls for his prosecution — all because he dared to apply the law to a powerful man. Smith wanted to testify publicly. Jim Jordan said no. Transparency is dangerous when the truth cuts this deep.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, called the deposition “boring,” but that’s because in Jack Smith’s hands the facts don’t scream — they indict. Jack Smith walked into a hostile room knowing the hunters were circling. And instead of blinking, he calmly reminded them: the evidence speaks for itself.

We can only hope that Donald Trump will someday face justice for the crimes that the former Special Prosecutor so meticulously detailed. Whether that happens while he’s still alive, given his apparently dubious medical conditions, remains to be seen.

-Occupy Democrats