Former Special Counsel Jack Smith went scorched-earth against Donald Trump and indicated he had no regrets in his first public testimony about his criminal investigation into the president.
“I want to be clear, I stand by my decisions as special counsel, including the decision to bring charges against President Trump. Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in criminal activity,” Smith said in his opening statement.
He said that Trump “engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power.”
There’s no other way to go with this corrupt admin.
Kantsas on
Every elected official should be going scorched earth on him at this point.
He’s ridiculously unfit for the job.
absolutelynotagoblin on
Jack Smith says that Trump is a criminal, and that’s good enough for me. It’s rather unfortunate that we have a treasonous, corrupt, criminal, grifter, liar and blowhard running the country, but there it is.
User4C4C4C on
Hell, it’s about damn time. Jack Smith the hero of truth.
Grandpa_No on
No quotes needed. He’s been found guilty.
twitch_delta_blues on
If only Mueller had done this.
Gen_Sherman_Hemsley on
Trump openly brags about how his supporters are cool with him executing people in the streets. He brags about walking into women’s change rooms and sexually assaulting them. He openly suggested that people inject bleach to fight Covid. He was Jeffery Epstein’s long time “best friend” and he openly supports Ghislaine Maxwell, wishing her well in her human trafficking case. He even pardoned J6 rioters who went on to rape kids. The trump team thinks this is all great. They won’t care if he committed more crimes.
scarfacesaints on
This testimony is still ongoing and most certainly not “scorched earth”. He’s currently getting yelled at by a republican from California. This is a clear partisan back and forth. Democrats are on his side, and republicans yell at him and don’t let him talk.
Bleakwind on
All this brave man did was talk to a bunch of lame ducks.
Congress has been asleep or chicken shit to do anything.
SCOTUS is corrupted as fuck.
The American people aren’t getting the message because traditional media is unreliable as fuck and online contend coving this is so easy to buy that controlled by the tech bros.
qwilla_ on
I yearn for a time when we don’t use buzzword clickbaity phrases like scorched earth. It shows lack of critical thinking to parrot phrases even when applicable
virgil_of_the_brooks on
Shame on all republicans and GOP representatives for using their time to try & villainize Smith to serve their daddy trump. They deserve no peace, no quarter, and to be impeached. The guardian of pedophile party deserves to never hold office again, screw all them- they are all hypocrites & baby back dicks
fairwinds2025 on
Trump is Putin & the GOP’s useful idiot.
humanistix on
Too bad most Americans have no idea that this is even ongoing.
Keleos89 on
Why is “criminal” in quotes when Trump is a literal felon?
DamnMyNameIsSteve on
Raskin, once again, is the adult in the room.
Gill is a slimy POS. So is everyone else defaming Smith.
sumdumbum87 on
Am I the only one who finds it incredibly weird how fixated Republicans are on the phone records?
Yes, Jack Smith got your phone records. No, he didn’t tell a judge it was for *your* records. You’re not a protected class just because you’re a fucking politician.
Bag_of_Meat13 on
Hey MAGA, imagine if Biden lost 2020 and had a group of thugs storm the Capitol at his behest to stop voting certification…..imagine NOTHING happening to him and he is allowed to run again in 2024 and WINS, and one of the world’s richest men helped him do it….
You’d all be melting down.
ninfan1977 on
Grand juries in two separate districts reached this conclusion based on his actions, as alleged in the indictments they returned. Rather than accept his defeat in the 2020 election, President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power. After leaving office in January of ’21, President Trump illegally kept classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago social club, and repeatedly tried to obstruct justice to conceal his continued retention of those documents. Highly sensitive national security information was held in a ballroom and a bathroom.
As I testify before the committee today, I want to be clear. I stand by my decisions as special counsel, including the decision to bring charges against President Trump. Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in criminal activity. If asked whether to prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether that president was a Democrat or a Republican. No one, no one should be above the law in this country and the law required that he be held to account, so that is what I did. To have done otherwise, on the facts of these cases, would have been to shirk my duties as a prosecutor and as a public servant, of which I had no intention of doing.
I remain grateful for the counsel, judgment and advice of my team. President Trump has sought to seek revenge against career prosecutors, FBI agents, and support staff simply for having worked on these cases. To vilify and seek retribution against these people is wrong. Those dedicated public servants are the best of us, and it has been a privilege to serve with them. After nearly 30 years of public service, including in international settings, I have seen how the rule of law can erode. My fear is that we have seen the rule of law function in our country for so long that many of us have come to take it for granted. The rule of law is not self-executing. It depends on our collective commitment to apply it. It requires dedicated service on behalf of others, especially when that service is difficult and comes with costs. Our willingness to pay those costs is what tests and defines our commitment to the rule of law and to this wonderful country.
waffle299 on
It isn’t scorched earth. It is an expert conclusion that the President committed crimes to get elected.
Billyosler1969 on
Democrats need to rapidly enact a project 2029. Expand the Supreme Court, Start the Nuremberg style proceedings for all who broke the law (hold them in Minneapolis ), reform ICE and Homeland security, rapidly remove all of Trumps cronies as fast as possible, purging the military officers including JAG of Trump political appointees, remove trumps name from all government buildings, Universal healthcare, reproductive freedom, affordable housing… They need to learn from Trump and “Flood the zone”.
But we will get a strongly worded letter and calls for bipartisanship
Ohuigin on
Wild how just stating the facts is now going “scorched earth”.
Mr. Smith has not raised his voice much above a whisper this entire time. Just simply stating facts.
Scorched earth my ass.
BigMax on
It’s still wild to me just how far Trump went in breaking *very* serious laws, and how obvious it was to everyone.
And then we did… nothing. Sure, some folks like Jack Smith *tried* but it was too little, too late, and without the full support of the Biden administration.
Those investigations should have been priority #1 on day 1 of the Biden admin, with all hands on deck. Literally trying to *overthrow the US government* should not be something we take lightly and half-ass.
But here we are, with a man who tried to overthrow the government, while also breaking other laws and lying and stonewalling about them, and half the US voters said “yep, that’s the guy we want.”
CorrectPhilosophy245 on
Hearing the Republican Rep from California defend Trump’s lies by saying that telling lies to achieve a desired political outcome is legal and acceptable because ‘It’s not unconstitutional for Americans to believe in lies’ just about sums up everything the Republican party stands for. Absolutely disgusting
*edit: Darrell Issa is the Rep I’m referencing
elmatador12 on
Goes “scorched earth”. You mean he told the truth about the facts he discovered?
25 Comments
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith went scorched-earth against Donald Trump and indicated he had no regrets in his first public testimony about his criminal investigation into the president.
“I want to be clear, I stand by my decisions as special counsel, including the decision to bring charges against President Trump. Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in criminal activity,” Smith said in his opening statement.
He said that Trump “engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power.”
Read the full story, [here](https://www.thedailybeast.com/jack-smith-goes-scorched-earth-on-criminal-trump/).
There’s no other way to go with this corrupt admin.
Every elected official should be going scorched earth on him at this point.
He’s ridiculously unfit for the job.
Jack Smith says that Trump is a criminal, and that’s good enough for me. It’s rather unfortunate that we have a treasonous, corrupt, criminal, grifter, liar and blowhard running the country, but there it is.
Hell, it’s about damn time. Jack Smith the hero of truth.
No quotes needed. He’s been found guilty.
If only Mueller had done this.
Trump openly brags about how his supporters are cool with him executing people in the streets. He brags about walking into women’s change rooms and sexually assaulting them. He openly suggested that people inject bleach to fight Covid. He was Jeffery Epstein’s long time “best friend” and he openly supports Ghislaine Maxwell, wishing her well in her human trafficking case. He even pardoned J6 rioters who went on to rape kids. The trump team thinks this is all great. They won’t care if he committed more crimes.
This testimony is still ongoing and most certainly not “scorched earth”. He’s currently getting yelled at by a republican from California. This is a clear partisan back and forth. Democrats are on his side, and republicans yell at him and don’t let him talk.
All this brave man did was talk to a bunch of lame ducks.
Congress has been asleep or chicken shit to do anything.
SCOTUS is corrupted as fuck.
The American people aren’t getting the message because traditional media is unreliable as fuck and online contend coving this is so easy to buy that controlled by the tech bros.
I yearn for a time when we don’t use buzzword clickbaity phrases like scorched earth. It shows lack of critical thinking to parrot phrases even when applicable
Shame on all republicans and GOP representatives for using their time to try & villainize Smith to serve their daddy trump. They deserve no peace, no quarter, and to be impeached. The guardian of pedophile party deserves to never hold office again, screw all them- they are all hypocrites & baby back dicks
Trump is Putin & the GOP’s useful idiot.
Too bad most Americans have no idea that this is even ongoing.
Why is “criminal” in quotes when Trump is a literal felon?
Raskin, once again, is the adult in the room.
Gill is a slimy POS. So is everyone else defaming Smith.
Am I the only one who finds it incredibly weird how fixated Republicans are on the phone records?
Yes, Jack Smith got your phone records. No, he didn’t tell a judge it was for *your* records. You’re not a protected class just because you’re a fucking politician.
Hey MAGA, imagine if Biden lost 2020 and had a group of thugs storm the Capitol at his behest to stop voting certification…..imagine NOTHING happening to him and he is allowed to run again in 2024 and WINS, and one of the world’s richest men helped him do it….
You’d all be melting down.
Grand juries in two separate districts reached this conclusion based on his actions, as alleged in the indictments they returned. Rather than accept his defeat in the 2020 election, President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power. After leaving office in January of ’21, President Trump illegally kept classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago social club, and repeatedly tried to obstruct justice to conceal his continued retention of those documents. Highly sensitive national security information was held in a ballroom and a bathroom.
As I testify before the committee today, I want to be clear. I stand by my decisions as special counsel, including the decision to bring charges against President Trump. Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in criminal activity. If asked whether to prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether that president was a Democrat or a Republican. No one, no one should be above the law in this country and the law required that he be held to account, so that is what I did. To have done otherwise, on the facts of these cases, would have been to shirk my duties as a prosecutor and as a public servant, of which I had no intention of doing.
I remain grateful for the counsel, judgment and advice of my team. President Trump has sought to seek revenge against career prosecutors, FBI agents, and support staff simply for having worked on these cases. To vilify and seek retribution against these people is wrong. Those dedicated public servants are the best of us, and it has been a privilege to serve with them. After nearly 30 years of public service, including in international settings, I have seen how the rule of law can erode. My fear is that we have seen the rule of law function in our country for so long that many of us have come to take it for granted. The rule of law is not self-executing. It depends on our collective commitment to apply it. It requires dedicated service on behalf of others, especially when that service is difficult and comes with costs. Our willingness to pay those costs is what tests and defines our commitment to the rule of law and to this wonderful country.
It isn’t scorched earth. It is an expert conclusion that the President committed crimes to get elected.
Democrats need to rapidly enact a project 2029. Expand the Supreme Court, Start the Nuremberg style proceedings for all who broke the law (hold them in Minneapolis ), reform ICE and Homeland security, rapidly remove all of Trumps cronies as fast as possible, purging the military officers including JAG of Trump political appointees, remove trumps name from all government buildings, Universal healthcare, reproductive freedom, affordable housing… They need to learn from Trump and “Flood the zone”.
But we will get a strongly worded letter and calls for bipartisanship
Wild how just stating the facts is now going “scorched earth”.
Mr. Smith has not raised his voice much above a whisper this entire time. Just simply stating facts.
Scorched earth my ass.
It’s still wild to me just how far Trump went in breaking *very* serious laws, and how obvious it was to everyone.
And then we did… nothing. Sure, some folks like Jack Smith *tried* but it was too little, too late, and without the full support of the Biden administration.
Those investigations should have been priority #1 on day 1 of the Biden admin, with all hands on deck. Literally trying to *overthrow the US government* should not be something we take lightly and half-ass.
But here we are, with a man who tried to overthrow the government, while also breaking other laws and lying and stonewalling about them, and half the US voters said “yep, that’s the guy we want.”
Hearing the Republican Rep from California defend Trump’s lies by saying that telling lies to achieve a desired political outcome is legal and acceptable because ‘It’s not unconstitutional for Americans to believe in lies’ just about sums up everything the Republican party stands for. Absolutely disgusting
*edit: Darrell Issa is the Rep I’m referencing
Goes “scorched earth”. You mean he told the truth about the facts he discovered?