Cruz accuses Jack Smith of abuse of power at Senate Judiciary hearing
Former special counsel Jack Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday 29 September, defending his prosecutions of Donald Trump while Sen. Ted Cruz accused him of abuse of power. Right and left outlets stress different moments.
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The story, neutrally told
Former special counsel Jack Smith appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday 29 September 2026 to answer lawmakers' questions. Just the NewsRC “He appeared before the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday to answer questions from lawmakers.” Read at Just the News ↗ Raw StoryL “Smith laid down the line clearly in Tuesday's hearing.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Smith had brought charges against Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 election over alleged mishandling of classified documents and efforts to challenge the 2020 election results. Just the NewsRC “Smith brought charges against Trump ahead of the 2024 election related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents and his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.” Read at Just the News ↗ Smith stood by those decisions, saying his investigation "developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation". Raw StoryL ““Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation,” said Smith.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Just the NewsRC “Smith stood by his decision to charge Trump and reiterated his belief that the president was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.” Read at Just the News ↗
Smith also said he would prosecute a former president on the same facts whether that president was a Republican or a Democrat. Raw StoryL “I would do so regardless of whether that president was a Republican or a Democrat.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called the investigation a "witch hunt" and said Smith's conduct was "the most egregious abuse of power in the history of the Department of Justice". Just the NewsRC “And I believe your conduct represents the most egregious abuse of power in the history of the Department of Justice.” Read at Just the News ↗ Cruz compared Smith to Richard Nixon's attorney general John Mitchell, said Smith had been a "foot soldier for the DNC", and likened Smith to Javert from Les Misérables. Just the NewsRC “you are stepping into the shoes of John Mitchell”“Javert from Les Mis would look at you with astonishment” Read at Just the News ↗
Raw Story reports that Democrats on the panel backed Smith and criticised Republicans who questioned his character. Raw StoryL “Democrats on the Senate panel backed him up, chastising Republicans who attempted to cast aspersions on his character.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Raw Story also says Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) tried to show Smith had been at a Hawks game in Atlanta, to suggest collusion with Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis, but the game was actually a Hawkeyes away game in Maryland. This is Raw Story's account, and Just the News does not mention it. Raw StoryL “only to faceplant as it turned out he was actually at a Hawkeyes away game in Maryland.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Salon's Troy Farah, cited by Raw Story, argued that Smith's defiance matters because Trump benefits from "playing the victim" ahead of the midterms. Raw StoryL “by playing the victim, the president benefits from controlling the narrative, and perhaps rewriting history” Read at Raw Story ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- An opinion-style piece that cheers Smith's testimony, presents the GOP line as a false narrative, and quotes a Salon analyst on the stakes.
- Emphasis
- Smith's statement that he would prosecute regardless of party, Democratic support, and Sen. Schmitt's mistaken sports-game accusation.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention Cruz's remarks.
- Charged language
- “faceplant”“MAGA trolls”“charade”
- For example
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“The GOP has been trying to claim the criminal cases against the president were witch hunts for political purposes” — Raw Story
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Leads with Cruz's attack on Smith, quoting it at length, including the Nixon and Les Misérables comparisons.
- Emphasis
- Cruz's accusations of partisan abuse of the Justice Department.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Gives little of Smith's own testimony beyond a brief summary. Does not mention Democratic senators' responses or the Schmitt episode.
- Charged language
- “excoriated”“witch hunt”“foot soldier for the DNC”“egregious abuse of power”
- For example
-
“you have succeeded where Richard Nixon failed, which is weaponizing the Department of Justice and the federal government to go after your political opponents” — Just the News
What every side reports
- Jack Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday 29 September 2026.
- Smith defended his prosecution of Trump, saying the evidence met the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Where accounts differ
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Whether Smith's investigations were legitimate or politically motivated
- Left
- Raw Story calls the 'witch hunt' claim a Republican narrative and says Trump's own Justice Department is conducting politically motivated prosecutions.
- Right
- Just the News quotes Cruz calling the investigation a 'witch hunt' and an abuse of power that 'brought the Department of Justice into disrepute'.
Ted Cruz person
Cruz says Smith has no regrets and that the prosecutions were a partisan abuse of power that damaged the Justice Department.
“you have brought the Department of Justice into disrepute, and you have done enormous damage.” — Just the News
Jack Smith person
Smith maintains that the evidence proved Trump committed serious crimes and that he would act the same way regardless of party.
“If asked whether to prosecute a former president today, based on the same facts, I would do so regardless of whether that president was a Republican or a Democrat.” — Raw Story
Donald Trump person
Raw Story describes Trump as launching politically motivated investigations and portraying himself as a victim. Just the News refers to Trump as the president whom Smith charged.
“Trump, after all, is launching an endless stream of politically motivated investigations of his own” — Raw Story
Left1 article
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Raw StoryL · · Opinion
Jack Smith waving 'proverbial finger' at MAGA could spur 'severe consequences': analyst
Celebratory Opinion-driven piece praising Smith's defiance and mocking Republican senators' conduct at the hearing.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
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Cruz chastises Jack Smith over 'egregious abuse of power'
Critical Reports Cruz's rebuke of Smith largely in Cruz's own words, with limited counterpoint.
- 29 Sep 18:22 First Just the NewsRC Cruz chastises Jack Smith over 'egregious abuse of power'
- 30 Sep 21:05 +26h 43m Raw StoryL Jack Smith waving 'proverbial finger' at MAGA could spur 'severe consequences': analyst Opinion
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.