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Jack Smith, an American attorney who has served in the US Department of Justice, has defended his prosecutions of President Trump in a closed-door deposition before a House panel.
During the Wednesday, December 17, testimony, Smith said that the charges can only be blamed on "President Trump and his actions".
He was subpoenaed to testify earlier this month for his actions as special counsel during the Biden administration.
The committee is investigating what it claims were the "politically motivated" prosecutions of the president led by Smith.
Trump was indicted on more than 40 federal charges in two separate cases. The first alleged he illegally held onto classified government documents after leaving the White House in 2021, and the second came from his alleged efforts to subvert the transfer of power after the 2020 election.
The president has denied wrongdoing and claimed Smith's investigations were politically motivated "witch hunts" that intended to harm his candidacy for the White House.
Both cases were brought to an end after Trump won a second term in November 2024.
During his opening statement, Smith defended his prosecutorial record in front of lawmakers, sharing that he made decisions in the investigations "without regard to President Trump's political association, activities, beliefs, or candidacy in the 2024 presidential election."
He continued, "Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power."
"January 6 was an attack on the structure of our democracy in which over 100 heroic law enforcement officers were assaulted. Over 160 individuals later pled guilty to assaulting police officers that day," Smith said.
He added, "Exploiting that violence, President Trump and his associates tried to call Members of Congress in furtherance of their criminal scheme, urging them to further delay certification of the 2020 election. I didn't choose those members; President Trump did."
Smith is also under investigation by the Office of Special Counsel. His lawyers called the ethics probe by the Office of the Special Counsel "imaginary and unfounded".
