Former special counsel Jack Smith, who brought two now-defunct criminal cases against President Donald Turmp, defended the integrity of his investigation during a combative hearing Thursday on Capitol Hill.
Making his first public appearance before lawmakers, Smith pushed back against Trump’s claims that he was a crooked prosecutor during a hearing that devolved into a partisan Rorschach test about Trump’s actions after losing the 2020 election.
“I am not a politician, and I have no partisan loyalties,” Smith told the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. “My career has been dedicated to serving our country by upholding the rule of law…I stand by my decisions as special counsel, including my decision to bring charges against President Trump.”
While Smith was testifying, Trump called him a “deranged animal” in a social media post, and also said he hopes Attorney General Pam Bondi “is looking at” supposed misconduct by Smith because “a big price should be paid.”
From 2022 to 2025, Smith led the special counsel’s office at the Justice Department that investigated Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election, and his potential mishandling of classified government documents.
He eventually fi
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