Former special counsel Jack Smith has told members of Congress that he firmly believes Donald Trump put Mike Pence’s life in danger on January 6, 2021, through his words and actions, especially a tweet sent while violence was unfolding at the U.S. Capitol. Smith said he has no doubt that Trump’s behavior that day made an already dangerous situation even worse for his own vice president.
Jack Smith previously led the federal criminal investigations into Trump, including the case focused on efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Those investigations were shut down after Trump was re-elected last year. Parts of Smith’s closed-door testimony were later highlighted publicly, shedding new light on his views of Trump’s responsibility for what happened on January 6.
Smith explained that the danger did not begin on that single day. He said Trump spent weeks before January 6 spreading distrust in the election system. According to Smith, Trump repeatedly pushed false claims of voter fraud, even though there was no evidence to support them. He made these claims to state lawmakers, to his supporters, and in public statements, knowing that many of his followers were becoming increasingly angry.
Smith said Trump was aware of this anger when he encouraged his supporters to come to Washington and then directed them toward the Capitol. Once the crowd turned violent and the attack on the Capitol began, Smith said Trump failed to act responsibly. Instead of trying to stop the violence, Trump refused to intervene in any meaningful way.
Smith told Congress that at 2:24 p.m., while the Capitol was under attack, Trump sent a tweet criticizing Mike Pence for refusing to overturn the election results. Smith said that tweet, in his view, clearly endangered Pence’s life. At that moment, Pence was inside the Capitol, being evacuated for his safety as rioters searched for him.
In the tweet, Trump accused Pence of lacking courage and claimed Pence failed to protect the country and the Constitution by refusing to block certification of the election. Trump repeated false claims that the election results were fraudulent, even though no evidence supported those claims. Smith stressed that Trump knew the crowd was angry and that his words would inflame the situation.
As the violence continued, Smith said Trump did nothing on his own to calm the situation. According to Smith, Trump had to be pressured multiple times by his staff before he made any attempt to address the chaos. Even after the attack began to subside, Smith said Trump continued trying to interfere with the certification process by encouraging allies to contact members of Congress to delay the proceedings further.
During the riot, many Trump supporters inside and outside the Capitol were chanting “Hang Mike Pence.” They were furious because Pence had refused to break the law or violate the Constitution by rejecting the election results. Later investigations by the House January 6 Committee found evidence suggesting Trump was aware of these threats and, at the very least, did not object to them. The committee also uncovered testimony indicating Trump expressed approval of the crowd’s anger toward Pence.
Smith’s testimony paints a picture of a president who knowingly stirred distrust, inflamed his supporters, and then failed to protect his vice president during a violent attack. He made clear to lawmakers that, in his judgment, Trump’s actions before and during January 6 directly contributed to the danger Pence faced that day.
