GEOFF BENNETT: Republicans on the House Judiciary# Committee today sharply criticized former special## counsel Jack Smith over his investigation of# President Trump, which produced more than 40## criminal charges that have since been dropped.# GOP lawmakers accused Smith of partisanship.

But, as Ali Rogin reports, Smith defended his# conduct, saying the law required him to act.

REP.

JIM JORDAN (R-OH): Do you swear# a firm under penalty of perjury that## the test money you're about to give is true?

ALI ROGIN: The first public hearing# for former special couns.. REP.

JIM JORDAN: So help you God?

JACK SMITH, Former Special.. ALI ROGIN: ... quickly became# a sharp partisan.. REP.

DARRELL ISSA (R-CA): And with that,# I yield back in disgust of this witness.

REP.

ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA): These guys,# my Republican colleagues, are a joke.

ALI ROGIN: Even as Smith tried# to stay above the political fray.

JACK SMITH: I am not a politician# and I have no partisan loyalties.

ALI ROGIN: As he defended his more than two# year investigation into President Trump.

JACK SMITH: We followed the facts and we# followed the law.

Where that led us was## to an indictment of an unprecedented criminal# scheme to block the peaceful transfer of power.

ALI ROGIN: Smith's team charged Trump# with conspiring to overturn the 2020## presidential election he lost, culminating# in the January 6 Capitol riot.

Smith and the## Department of Justice dropped the# charges after Trump was reelected.

A separate case and 40 criminal charges# related to classified documents Trump## kept at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida# were dismissed by a federal judge in 2024,## who said Smith had been unlawfully appointed.

JACK SMITH: 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.

ALI ROGIN: Smith's testimony comes# as the Trump administration continues## to attack his credibility.

The Justice# Department has fired many who worked on## the January 6 investigation.

A watchdog# agency is looking into Smith's work.

And President Trump continues to attack# him, including during the hearing,## posting on TRUTH Social that Smith# is a deranged animal who shouldn't## be allowed to practice law and that he hoped the# attorney general was looking at what he's done.

Democrats read the post aloud.

REP.

JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): We have a word for this.# It's called weaponization.

It's called corruption.

ALI ROGIN: But Republicans backed the president,## directly accusing Smith of being a partisan# actor weaponizing the Department of Justice.

REP.

DARRELL ISSA: You, like the# president's men for Richard Nixon,## went after your political enemies.

Maybe# they're not your political enemies,## but they sure as hell were Joe Biden's political# enemies, weren't they?

They were Harris'## political enemies.

They were the enemies of the# president, and you were their arm, weren't you?

JACK SMITH: No.

ALI ROGIN: Repub.. calls made by Republican senators around# January 6.

Smith said it was common for## investigators to collect call logs,# which do not include their content.

REP.

JIM JORDAN: Not going to be charged.

They're# not going to see it.

They're not going to know## because we're not going to tell them.

So let's# go ahead and do it.

It's exactly what happened.

JACK SMITH: The toll records that we secured## in the nondisclosure orders# were consistent with policy.

ALI ROGIN: Democrats on the committee# praised Smith for his service.

REP.

STEVE COHEN (D-TN): I think# you're a great American and you## came out of this as being somebody# who people can respect and look up to.

ALI ROGIN: And asked about how# many Republicans he relied on## during his investigation into the 2020 election.

JACK SMITH: Some of the most powerful witnesses# were witnesses who in fact were fellow Republicans## who had voted for Donald Trump, who had campaigned# for him and who wanted him to win the election.

ALI ROGIN: The classified documents# case got far fewer questions.

The## Trump-appointed judge in that case had# sealed a report Smith's team prepared## and Trump's lawyers are asking for it# to be permanently blocked from release.

One question Smith left open was# whether someone could or should## revisit his charges when Trump leaves office.

REP.

HANK JOHNSON (D-GA): So they can be refiled## and he can be prosecuted after he# leaves office; is that correct?

JACK SMITH: I'm not going to speak to that.

ALI ROGIN: He only said the case# was dismissed without prejud.. meaning it was not closed for good.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Ali Rogin.