Jack Smith Testifies on Trump Jan. 6 Investigation, Defends Criminal Conspiracy Findings

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith delivered powerful testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, defending his investigation into former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. In his first public testimony since releasing a comprehensive report in January 2025, Smith maintained he had developed “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” of Trump’s criminal conduct.

“Our investigation revealed that Donald Trump is the person who caused Jan. 6, that it was foreseeable to him and that he sought to exploit the violence,” Smith told committee members. “We followed the facts and we followed the law — where that led us was to an indictment of an unprecedented criminal scheme to block the peaceful transfer of power.”

The hearing comes just a year into Trump’s second term, during which the former president has repeatedly attacked Smith and threatened criminal action against him. Smith’s appearance follows earlier closed-door testimony and a protracted battle to speak publicly about his findings.

Smith identified Trump as “the most culpable and most responsible person” for the Capitol attack, which resulted in assaults on 140 law enforcement officers. His report outlined four key areas of alleged criminal conduct that formed the basis of the federal indictment brought against Trump in August 2023.

According to Smith’s testimony, Trump systematically pressured Republican officials in battleground states he had lost, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The most notorious example came in a recorded call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, where Trump said: “All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes.”

Smith also detailed a coordinated effort to organize fraudulent elector slates in seven states Trump had lost. The scheme, orchestrated by Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, involved fake electors signing false certificates claiming Trump had won those states.

“These would be false claims about dead voters… underage voters… illegal alien voters,” Smith explained. “The false claims were generally about urban centers where he had lost the vote in a particular state that was otherwise close by a lot.”

The investigation uncovered evidence that Trump attempted to enlist the Justice Department in his scheme, pressuring senior officials to declare the election “corrupt” and “leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen.” When they refused, Trump tried installing Jeffrey Bossert Clark, who was willing to send letters to swing states claiming the DOJ had identified fraud. Only the threatened mass resignation of the entire DOJ leadership prevented this move.

Smith’s evidence showed Trump repeatedly pressured Vice President Mike Pence to reject certified electoral votes during the January 6 congressional certification, despite being told such actions would be illegal and unconstitutional. When Pence refused, Trump publicly attacked him during his Ellipse speech and later tweeted that Pence “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done.”

Central to Smith’s case was evidence that Trump knew his election fraud claims were false but made them anyway. “When he was told that a fraud claim wasn’t true, he didn’t stop making it,” Smith testified. The investigation documented how Trump’s claimed numbers of fraudulent votes changed wildly from day to day.

Smith described a meticulous 22-month investigation involving over 250 witness interviews and review of more than a terabyte of data. “The president was preying on the party allegiance of people who supported him,” Smith said. “The evidence that I felt was most powerful was the evidence that came from people in his own party who… put country before party.”

When asked directly by Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) if he expected Trump’s Justice Department to bring criminal charges against him, Smith responded candidly: “I believe they will do everything in their power to do that, because they’ve been ordered to by the President.”

During the hearing, Trump posted on Truth Social calling Smith “a deranged animal” who “shouldn’t be allowed to practice Law” and saying “a big price should be paid” for the investigations. Smith remained defiant, stating: “I think [Trump’s] statements are meant to intimidate me. I will not be intimidated.”

Smith also criticized Trump’s decision to pardon approximately 1,500 January 6 defendants on his first day back in office. “I do not understand why you would mass pardon people who assaulted police officers,” Smith said. “I don’t get it. I never will.”

The cases against Trump were dismissed in November 2024 after his reelection, following DOJ policy prohibiting prosecution of sitting presidents. The second volume of Smith’s report, covering Trump’s retention of classified documents, remains sealed due to ongoing cases against co-defendants.

In his closing remarks, Smith warned of the broader implications of failing to hold powerful officials accountable, urging Americans to “never forget” the violence of January 6 and its impact on democracy.