USA Trump special prosecutor Smith gets public hearing
Trump special prosecutor Jack Smith gets the chance to publicly defend his former indictment against the current US president for election fraud. He is to answer questions from members of the House Judiciary Committee on January 22, as its chairman Jim Jordan announced.
13.01.2026, 06:52
SDA
Donald Trump was federally indicted by Smith in Washington in 2023 in connection with attempted voter fraud and the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021. These were the most serious charges against him. If convicted, Trump would have faced decades in prison.
Smith revised the charges in the summer of 2024 after the Supreme Court granted US presidents far-reaching immunity for official acts. The charges were dropped after Trump's re-election in 2024. Trump and his Republican allies had dismissed the investigation as political persecution.
Hearing along party lines
Such hearings often follow the party line. Smith must therefore be prepared to be critically scrutinized by Trump's Republicans, while Democratic MPs are likely to give him space to explain his investigations. In a previous hearing behind closed doors, Smith had defended his accusation against Trump. In an earlier report, Smith had expressed his conviction that Trump had only been spared a conviction for election fraud after the 2020 presidential election by his re-election.
