In a move that caught Republicans flat-footed, House Judiciary Democrats dropped the full 255-page transcript of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s closed-door congressional testimony on New Year’s Eve, instantly answering why GOP leaders fought so fiercely to keep it sealed. Once public, the document read like a prosecutorial roadmap—methodical, damning, and devastating.

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Under oath, Smith laid it out plainly: his investigation uncovered proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Donald Trump orchestrated a criminal scheme to overturn the 2020 election and block the lawful transfer of power. The testimony details how Trump and his allies pressed officials, exploited chaos, and sought to delay certification to cling to office.

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Smith also recounted powerful evidence from the classified documents case. After leaving office in January 2021, Trump willfully retained highly classified materials, storing them at his private club in unsecured locations—including a ballroom and even a bathroom—and then repeatedly obstructed justice to conceal their continued possession.

Just as striking, Smith dismantled right-wing conspiracy theories surrounding the investigation. He testified unequivocally that President Biden never directed the probe and never even discussed it with him, shredding claims of political interference.

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The most searing section focused on January 6. Smith described it as an attack on the very structure of American democracy, during which more than 140 law enforcement officers were assaulted and over 160 perpetrators later pleaded guilty to attacking police. He explained how Trump and his associates leveraged the violence, calling members of Congress to push for further delays in certifying the election. “I did not choose those Members—President Trump did,” Smith said.

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His conclusion left little room for ambiguity: Trump was the most culpable figure in the conspiracy. The crimes, Smith testified, were committed for Trump’s benefit, and the Capitol attack does not happen without him.

With the transcript now public, the question reverberating across Washington is unavoidable: how can evidence this stark coexist with impunity? To many observers, the release underscores what they see as one of the most profound failures of accountability in modern American history—that Donald Trump is president today, not behind bars, despite a record laid bare under oath.