Key takeaways from Jack Smith's testimony to House Judiciary Committee

By Fox News · Fox News

Former special counsel Jack Smith used a closed-door deposition with House Republicans last month to defend his investigations into Donald Trump's alleged effort to subvert the 2020 presidential election and his alleged retention of certain classified documents, using the hours-long testimony to forcefully dispute the notion that his team had acted politically, and citing what he described as ample evidence to support the indictments that had been levied against Trump. "I made my decisions in the investigation without regard to President Trump’s political association, activities, beliefs, or candidacy in the 2024 presidential election," Smith told members of the House Judiciary Committee in the Dec. 17 interview. The interview was Smith's first time appearing before Congress since he left his role as special counsel in 2024. And while much of the information was not new, the exchange was punctuated by sharp exchanges with Republicans on the panel, both on the strength of the case, and on his own actions taken during the course of the probe — most recently, on the tolling records his team sought from a handful of Republican lawmakers over the course of the investigation. Republicans have assailed the records as being at odds with the speech or debate clause of the Constitution. "I made my decisions in the investigation without regard to President Trump’s political association, activities, beliefs, or candidacy in the 2024 presidential election," Smith told the committee. "We took actions based on what the facts, and the law required — the very lesson I learned early in my career as a prosecutor." Republicans on the panel ultimately opted to publish the redacted transcript on New Year's Eve, a decision that may have helped dull the impact of any news the 255-page document may have generated amid the broader hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Here are some of the biggest moments and notable exchanges from the eight-hour hearing. TRUMP STRIPS SECURITY CLEARANCES…