Jack Smith defends investigations into Trump during tense US Senate hearing

What the report says

Former special counsel Jack Smith appeared before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, defending the criminal investigations he led into President Donald Trump. According to Al Jazeera, Smith said his work followed Justice Department rules and was driven by evidence, rejecting Republican claims that he had improperly targeted conservatives or used his authority for political purposes.

The hearing centered on Smith’s two federal cases against Trump: one involving alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election and another concerning classified documents. Republicans pressed him on investigative tactics, including subpoenas for phone records linked to lawmakers and financial information from Republican donors and organizations. Committee chairman Chuck Grassley accused Smith’s office of trying to map and target the wider Republican Party, while Sen. Ted Cruz challenged Smith over records tied to his own calls. Smith responded that the subpoenas were meant to corroborate evidence and were approved through Justice Department channels.

Smith also said his team acted to prevent evidence from being destroyed or the investigation being disrupted. He noted that the material sought showed the time and duration of calls, not their contents. In addition, he accused the Trump administration of retaliating against prosecutors and agents who worked on the cases. Al Jazeera also reported that former FBI agents have filed a lawsuit claiming they were fired in a retribution campaign, underscoring continuing disputes over the handling of Trump-related investigations and the independence of the Justice Department.