Jack Smith Tells House Panel He Alone Decided to Charge President Donald Trump, Testimony Shows

Former special counsel Jack Smith told members of the House Judiciary Committee that it was his decision to bring criminal charges against President Donald Trump, according to portions of his closed-door testimony obtained by CNN.

Smith appeared before the Republican-led committee on Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation into his handling of the Trump probes. In his opening statement, Smith said the charging decisions were his responsibility, but emphasized that the basis for those charges stemmed from Trump’s actions, as outlined in indictments returned by grand juries in two separate jurisdictions.

The deposition focused on Smith’s investigations into Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, including events leading up to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. Smith also addressed questions surrounding subpoenas for phone toll records connected to lawmakers Trump contacted during that period.

Smith told lawmakers that the phone records were lawfully obtained and were part of a comprehensive criminal investigation. He said investigators did not arbitrarily target members of Congress, but instead followed evidence related to Trump’s alleged actions.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan has accused Smith of running a politically motivated investigation and abusing surveillance tools, allegations Smith has repeatedly denied. Smith has maintained that politics played no role in his work and has said he would have pursued the investigations regardless of Trump’s political affiliation.

The testimony carries significant legal and political stakes. Smith faces pressure from the Republican-controlled committee, while also navigating limits imposed by grand jury secrecy rules and prior court orders restricting what he can disclose. Sources familiar with the matter say Smith received guidance from the Justice Department on what topics he could address.

Democrats on the committee have called for Smith’s testimony to be released publicly, arguing the public should hear his explanations directly. Republicans, meanwhile, have signaled that further scrutiny of Smith and his former team is likely to continue.

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