Justice Department and Courts

At a televised Jan. 22, 2026 House Judiciary hearing, former special counsel Jack Smith testified under oath that his investigation produced proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump was “by a large measure the most culpable” and caused what happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6, and he defended subpoenas for phone and location data (including records for members of Congress) as lawful and evidence‑driven while saying charges were dropped after Trump’s 2024 victory pursuant to DOJ policy against prosecuting a sitting president. Smith said he could not discuss sealed portions of his classified‑documents report because of Judge Aileen Cannon’s order and grand‑jury secrecy, and rejected GOP accusations of politicization as unfounded amid questions about gag orders, subpoenas and payments to a confidential source.