Exclusive: Jack Smith Will Not Be Intimidated
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Ever since I was young, I've watched people working hard, chasing opportunity, making sacrifices, doing everything they can to build a better life. And now we're shining a light on what matters most. Our economy, our national identity, our democracy, our future. The stakes have never been higher. It's all on the line. On the Line with Alicia Menendez. Weekdays at 12 p.m. Eastern on MSNOW.
No one understands what Trump's attacks against the rule of law look like better than this guest. Donald Trump has called him a thug, a scoundrel, a criminal, and a sick man. His sin? Well, he pulled the curtain back like no one else on Donald Trump's efforts to end the tradition of a peaceful transfer of power. He also uncovered a criminal conspiracy to keep some of the country's most sensitive national security secrets out of the hands of the rightful owners, the federal government. More than anyone else, he represented a threat to Donald Trump's very liberty. Now, he's speaking out for the first time. I sat down with him this week on Deadline White House for his first ever live news interview. We touched on everything from his cases against Trump to the future of the Department of Justice and the state of the rule of law in America.
So this is The Best People, and this is my conversation on Deadline White House with former special counsel Jack Smith.
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.
Hi again, everybody. It's now 5 o'clock here in Washington, D.C. This show, Deadline White House, debuted the day that Donald Trump fired Jim Comey. He fired him for refusing to look the other way in the Mike Flynn case, among other actions that Donald Trump viewed as annoying and disloyal. Since that first broadcast, we have endeavored to chronicle Donald Trump's vicious war against the rule of law in our country. And no one understands what Trump's attacks against the rule of law look like. better than that man, former special counsel Jack Smith. So much of what we know about Donald Trump's efforts to undo his defeat in the 2020 presidential election against Joe Biden and his mishandling of some of the country's most sensitive national security secrets is because of the tireless work of Jack Smith and his team.
More than anyone else in the country, he represented a threat to Donald Trump because he followed the facts and they led him deep inside Donald Trump's government and political coalition. The facts reveal crimes and those crimes were serious enough to represent a very real risk of conviction at trial for Donald Trump. That's the standard to indict somebody. And because of that fact, Donald Trump has called Jack Smith horrible things, a quote, thug, a scoundrel, a criminal, and a sick man. And we could actually go on and on, but we don't want to waste our time that way. Trump has threatened to prosecute him. And Jack Smith has made clear that he was just doing his job. He would do it all over again if given the chance.
In his letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, delivering his final report, he writes this, quote, the claim from Mr. Trump that my decisions as a prosecutor were influenced or directed by the Biden administration or other political actors is, in a word, laughable. While we were not able to bring the cases we charged to trial, I believe the fact that our team stood up for the rule of law matters. I believe the example our team set for others to fight for justice without regard for the personal costs matters. The facts as we uncovered them in our investigation and as we set forth in my report matter. That's where we start the hour.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–8:49
2
Why did Jack Smith say he stood by charging President Trump?
8:49–24:57
3
How does Jack Smith describe the attack on the rule of law he witnessed?
24:57–31:07
4
What happened to the FBI agents and prosecutors who worked on Smith’s cases?
31:07–48:29
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The Best People with Nicolle Wallace
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Tim Miller Thinks Trump is Losing His Grip
Tim Snyder on the “Tiny Infinitesimal Amount of Courage” We Need
Marc Elias: We’re Not Heading Towards the Precipice — “We’re There”
Brian Driscoll on the Hollowing Out of the FBI: "It's Devastating”