Hi there, everyone.

It's 4 o'clock in New York in the midst of a steady drumbeat of news of Donald Trump's

retribution campaign, continuing to target his political opponents.

And anyone and everyone who has ever sought to hold him accountable comes something

different, a welcome dose of reality, courage, facts, and fealty to the rule of law from the

prosecutor who brought two of the most significant cases against Donald Trump.

Happening right now, former special counsel Jack Smith was testifying on Capitol Hill behind closed doors.

He had asked to do this publicly, but was rejected by the Republican chair of the House Judiciary Committee.

Jim Dorden, who said, no, you can't answer these questions in public.

But then he proceeded to subpoenaed Jack Smith so he could testify today in secret.

That means this may be as close as the public gets to an accounting of the two investigations

run by Jack Smith, both the federal investigation into Donald Trump's efforts to overturn

his 2020 election defeat, as well as the classified documents case.

Our Capitol Hill team obtained excerpts of Jack Smith's testimony.

He told the committee this, quote,

I was taught as a young professor to follow the facts

and the law and to do so without fear or favor,

to do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons. For nearly three

decades, I have been a career prosecutor. I've served during Republican and Democratic administrations,

and I have been guided by these principles in every role I have held. If asked whether to prosecute

a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so,

regardless of whether the president was a Republican or a Democrat.

...