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Just a few years ago, Fox News was declaring ChatGPT “woke” but now it’s selling viewers a narrative that America must fuel this boom or else we’ll lose to China or something. Salon’s Sophia Tesfaye, who watches Fox so you don’t have to, has the story.

Fiery exchanges before the Senate Judiciary Committee can’t distract from our troubled justice system

It was a bit tense watching former special counsel Jack Smith get grilled before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, in which he defended himself against accusations of partisanship in his failed effort to prosecute President Donald Trump two years ago. While the chaos of the current era has made the 2024 presidential campaign feel like it was a decade ago, some of us will recall that Smith secured numerous indictments on two counts: Trump's role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, and the other on his alleged mishandling of government records, including the classified documents he stored at Mar-a-Lago. Both cases fell apart as Trump was elected to a second term.

Now Republicans, including Trump, are pushing for Smith himself to be prosecuted. This isn’t the first time he’s been dragged before Congress so lawmakers could get the soundbites needed for Fox News hits, but to his credit, Smith only doubled down and said he would prosecute the president all over again. 

“Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation," Smith said during the hearing, adding, “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.”

Republicans took the opportunity to lob insults and accusations at Smith for hours, with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, accusing him of bringing “the Department of Justice into disrepute” and Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., telling Smith “You make me want to throw up in my mouth.”

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., claimed Smith “will go down as a total dirtbag,” while also attempting to corner Smith into possible perjury, accusing him of attending an Atlanta Hawks game in 2024, as a pretext for meeting with Fani Willis, the local district attorney who prosecuted Trump in Georgia. But Schmitt apparently confused the Hawks and the Iowa Hawkeyes (different teams, it turns out! As a non-sports person, I might’ve made the same mistake, except I check my facts), whom Smith had watched play at a game in Maryland. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., did Schmitt the favor of pointing out his error, quipping “Perhaps you should have looked at it more carefully.” 

This only seemed to further anger Schmitt. The whole bit, including a poster board of Smith’s blown-up text messages, was amazingly lazy, even for this Congress. It seemed as if some aide was just looking for anything with conspiracy-brain switched on and didn't bother to check the details or maybe they asked ChatGPT for help. Still, getting the facts wrong probably won’t hurt Schmitt, who is allegedly exploring a bid as Vice President JD Vance’s running mate in 2028. He got in the abusive remarks that will earn him MAGA’s seal of approval.

Not surprisingly, other Democrats also defended Smith. “The aspersions cast on Mr. Smith nonstop are petty, personal and political,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., claimed “This is gaslighting of the American people” and told Smith, “I am so sorry that they’re attempting to put investigators on trial while ignoring the extraordinary conduct that that they are duty bound to really investigate.”

Maybe this all seems like theatrics, more fodder for the cable news spectacle. But the stakes for Smith are real and this charade could also carry severe consequences for Americans. Since the moment he returned to office, Trump has worked overtime to take down his enemies. That hasn’t been too successful yet — emphasis on yet — but this is about much more than potentially putting Smith behind bars. By playing the victim, Trump benefits from controlling the narrative, and perhaps rewriting history. So Smith continuing to give the president and his MAGA trolls the finger isn’t just satisfying, it’s necessary. 

I’m not a Smith fanboy, though I certainly admire him for serving as a specialist prosecutor investigating war crimes in the Kosovo War. It feels misguided to turn public figures like Dr. Anthony Fauci or Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., into heroes or thirst traps just for doing their jobs. Still, it’s worth noticing when someone in the hot seat does more than pay lip service to the idea of a just and accountable society, knowing that the consequences extend much further than one’s own personal freedom.

What do you think? Does Jack Smith give you a reason for hope or dread? There’s no reason it can’t be both! Leave a comment, send me a note with your thoughts at [email protected] or say hello on Bluesky.

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