Former Special Counsel Jack Smith said there is “no way” he will be intimidated by President Donald Trump’s attempts to silence him, calling such efforts a “grave miscalculation.” In an interview with Nicolle Wallace on MS NOW, Smith said he remains committed to defending prosecutors and FBI agents against political attacks and will continue speaking out.
During his appearance on Deadline: White House, Smith addressed Trump’s calls for investigations into him.
“I am not going to be intimidated. And there’s no way in the world… if the thought was to go after me so that I wouldn’t speak up about the corruption that’s happening or speak up to defend these agents and prosecutors, that is a grave miscalculation.”
Smith said being targeted by Trump has revealed who “runs towards the fire” and who “backs away,” acknowledging the difficulty of standing firm under pressure. Even so, he said he would not retreat.
Reflections on challenges facing the U.S.
When Wallace asked how Trump was able to return to office despite allegations of felony conduct, Smith drew comparisons to earlier periods of political turmoil. He said the country responded and ultimately improved after events such as Watergate.
“I’m not saying the Justice Department has been perfect every day, but the people I worked with, I saw people trying to move things in the right direction.”
Smith said it would be “foolish” to ignore the challenges facing the United States but stressed that people still have a choice in how they respond.
“I want to behave now in a way that my kids will be proud of. I want to act in a way that when I’m retired, I look back on this time and say, I did things right.”
Rule of law under strain
The interview marked Smith’s first televised appearance since resigning from the Justice Department in January 2025, shortly before Trump returned to office. Smith previously led two federal prosecutions against Trump, one involving alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election and another over classified documents retained at Mar-a-Lago.
Smith warned that the rule of law is under “unprecedented attack,” describing the current moment as “different in kind and scope to anything I’ve seen in my lifetime.” He cited what he called “retribution prosecutions” targeting officials including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Smith also said he was angered to see career Justice Department officials “demonized” for doing their jobs.
“It angers me to see public servants demonized for doing their jobs… I think it’s really important that we stand up for them and let them know that there are a lot of people out there who back them.”
He also noted that young people are becoming increasingly hesitant to join the Justice Department, but encouraged them not to give up on public service.