From PBS NewsHour.
Former special counsel Jack Smith told a House committee Thursday that he stands by the decisions he made in that role, “including the decision to bring charges against President Trump.”
In a hearing focused on Smith’s investigations into President Donald Trump’s mishandling of classified documents and role in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Smith said his investigation developed proof “beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump had engaged in criminal activity.
“If asked whether to prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether that president was a Democrat or Republican,” Smith said.
“No one should be above the law in this country,” he added.
The hearing is an opportunity for the career prosecutor to publicly offer his inside perspective on the investigations, which both led to unprecedented indictments. Both were scuttled once it was clear that Trump would return to the Oval Office; Department of Justice policy prevents prosecution of a sitting president.
Republicans and the president have accused Smith of pursuing a politically motivated case against the president. Trump has denied wrongdoing while attacking Smith, calling him a "criminal" who ought to be investigated and "put in prison."
Smith defended his investigations in an hourslong closed-door meeting with lawmakers in December, saying he said he had "proof beyond a reasonable doubt" of what his investigations laid out. He’s denied accusations of bias.
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