During Senate hearing, Jack Smith defends criminal investigations of Trump

Amna Nawaz:

In the day's other headlines: The prosecutor who led criminal investigations of President Trump for the Department of Justice is in the spotlight today.

Former special counsel Jack Smith faced questions from Senate Republicans over his handling of two probes. One focused on the president's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the other on the president's alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office.

Our justice correspondent, Ali Rogin, reports on today's hearing.

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA):

The testimony you're about to give before the committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God.

Ali Rogin:

Nearly two years after criminal charges against President Donald Trump were dropped, the prosecutor who brought those charges said he'd do it all again.

Jack Smith, Former Special Counsel:

If asked whether to prosecute a former president today, based on the same facts, I would do so regardless of whether that president was a Republican or a Democrat.

Ali Rogin:

Republicans argued Smith's prosecutions against the president were politically motivated, and then directly attacked him.

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO):

You will go down as a total dirtbag.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA):

You have no personal feelings? You make me want to throw up in my mouth.

Ali Rogin:

Senators questioned Smith's decision to seek congressional Republicans' phone records in the lead-up to the attack.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX):

You subpoenaed records associated with my phones, both personal and office. And you sought and obtained a court order to prevent me from knowing about it.

Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC):

Do you know what I think? I think you're just trying to bully my brother and other allies of President Trump.

Ali Rogin:

And multiple Republicans accused Smith of lying to Congress, including Missouri Senator Josh Hawley.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO):

It's the worst abuse of prosecutorial power in the history of the United States. If it were up to me, I'd charge you with perjury.

Ali Rogin:

Senator Eric Schmitt also accused Smith of lying, but got his facts wrong. He said Smith traveled to Georgia to collude with prosecutors who were conducting a separate criminal investigation against the president. Schmitt pointed to a series of text messages which he said was a smoking gun.

Sen. Eric Schmitt:

What would you say if I had a series of text messages from your team that said you were in Atlanta at a Warriors-Hawks game on February 3, 2024? I will give you a second to process it so you don't perjure yourself.

Ali Rogin:

But Smith said he hadn't visited Georgia in that time and that he attended a different basketball game on that date in a different city, featuring a team with a slightly different name.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN):

Could it then be that University of Iowa is the Hawkeyes? Could that be it, and maybe before we show this kind of thing?

Jack Smith:

It was because Caitlin Clark was coming to Maryland to play.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar:

I know.

Ali Rogin:

Democrats on the committee said their colleagues were more focused on attacking Smith's record than seeking justice.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ):

This committee has not done what we should be doing, which is investigating the crimes. And yet we're putting on trial the investigators.

Ali Rogin:

Smith also criticized the Department of Justice under the current administration for firing career prosecutors who worked alongside him on January 6 investigations.

Jack Smith:

If you fire people who have the expertise to conduct investigations properly and to represent the United States in court properly, you are making our country less safe.

Ali Rogin:

Today's hearing was the latest in the fight over politicization of the Department of Justice. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan called on the Department of Justice to prosecute Smith after accusing him of lying to the House during a closed-door hearing last December.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Ali Rogin.