Former special counsel Jack Smith pushed back hard against the Trump administration at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, a sign that the fight over the dropped Trump cases is far from over.

• Smith said he stands by charging Trump and will not be silenced by threats of prosecution against him.
• He insisted both cases — the 2020 election case and the classified documents case — were built on evidence, not politics.
• Democratic senator Mazie Hirono used the hearing to attack the current Justice Department, saying it no longer follows facts and law.
• Republican senators went after Smith for pulling phone records tied to members of Congress during the January 6th investigation.
• Both cases died after Trump won in 2024, since the Justice Department will not prosecute a sitting president.

Outlook: Expect continued pressure on Smith from both the administration and Republican lawmakers, with the threat of charges against him still hanging over the dispute.