Amna Nawaz
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WATCH: Rep. Raskin makes opening statement in Jack Smith hearing
Posted
January 22, 2026
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January 22, 2026
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10:04Now PlayingRep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, made an opening statement Thursday in a hearing with former special counsel Jack Smith, who led investigations into President Donald Trump’s mishandling of classified documents and role in the Jan. 6 attack.
"You've never even been the subject of a disciplinary proceeding over the course of your multi-decade career, but Donald Trump says you're a criminal and you belong in prison," Raskin said in his opening remarks to Smith, after thanking the former special counsel for appearing.
"[Trump] says you belong in prison, not because you did anything wrong, mind you. But because you did everything right. You pursued the facts, you followed the law. You stuck with extreme caution to every rule of professional responsibility. You had the audacity to do your job," Raskin said.
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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