Overview
- House Republicans posted a partially redacted transcript and video of Smith’s Dec. 17 deposition on Dec. 31, drawing criticism that the timing sought to muffle material that instead drew widespread attention.
- Smith testified his team had proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump tried to overturn the 2020 result and willfully retained highly classified documents after leaving office.
- He said the Capitol attack “does not happen without” Trump, describing evidence that Trump stoked distrust, directed supporters to the Capitol, resisted efforts to stop the violence, and issued a tweet that endangered the vice president.
- Pressed on investigative tactics, Smith defended subpoenas for lawmakers’ telephone toll records as lawful and limited to metadata, as transcript analysis showed GOP questioners fixated on subpoenas while largely skipping financial‑record lines of inquiry.
- He said a court injunction from Judge Aileen Cannon restricted what he could discuss about the classified‑documents probe, and he cast Cassidy Hutchinson’s steering‑wheel account as second‑ or third‑hand compared with officers’ differing recollections.