Capitol agenda: Jack Smith speaks
It’s the televised showdown both Republicans and Democrats have long wanted: Former DOJ special counsel Jack Smith takes the hot seat in front of the House Judiciary Committee Thursday morning.
It’s likely to be a long and lively examination of his aborted effort to convict President Donald Trump for trying to overturn the 2020 election.
— What Smith will say: Smith plans to stand by his decision to prosecute Trump — and say that doing otherwise would have been “shirk[ing] my duties as a prosecutor and a public servant,” according to prepared remarks obtained by POLITICO. It’s similar to what he already told lawmakers behind closed doors: that a jury would have found the president guilty of a criminal scheme had Smith been allowed to move forward with his evidence.
“I made my decisions without regard to President Trump’s political association, activities, beliefs or candidacy in the 2024 presidential election,” Smith plans to say, adding that the evidence his team gathered “established that he willfully broke the very laws that he took an oath to uphold.”
Smith ultimately dropped the charges he brought in the election subversion case after Trump won reelection in 2024, since the Justice Department is prohibited from charging or trying a current president.
Not every question might get a satisfactory answer: A court order sealed the second volume of his report around the classified documents case, and Trump on Wednesday night urged a judge to make that order permanent.
— What the GOP is looking for: Republicans will likely hammer Smith on what they see as a political campaign against the GOP and Trump.
Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said Smith represents “a continuation of this weaponization of government against the president.”
Jordan’s decision to allow Smith to testify publicly after initially only allowing a closed-door session will let Republicans tee off as the public, and likely Trump, are watching. Expect to hear plenty about how Smith secretly obtained phone records for several current GOP senators during his investigation.
— What Dems are hoping for: Democrats will take the opportunity to have Smith describe Trump’s alleged criminal behavior in painstaking detail — including the president’s attempt to stop Joe Biden from taking office.
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said Wednesday he was “thrilled” that Smith would be testifying publicly so that he can tell the American people “all the evidence that he has collected” against Trump and why he was “lawfully indicted.”
“American people are going to hear that,” Lieu said. “And I encourage everyone to watch.”
What else we’re watching:
— House funding action: Buckle up for a long, wild day as House GOP leaders try to muscle through the last four fiscal 2026 spending bills. The Rules Committee reconvened Thursday morning after Speaker Mike Johnson struggled late Wednesday to strike an amendment deal with hard-liners that would allow the panel to move forward on the package.
— War powers vote: House lawmakers will vote Thursday on a measure to rein in Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela. The margin is so thin that the vote could come down to attendance. GOP Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Don Bacon of Nebraska intend to support the Democrat-led resolution, and a few other Republicans are mulling voting “yes.”
Hailey Fuchs, Kyle Cheney and Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report.