January 22, 2026

Good Thursday evening. In this edition: Jack Smith stands by Trump prosecutions; and Trump launches "Board of Peace" in Davos.

• Plus, appropriations, war powers, Klobuchar, JPMorgan Chase and Paris Hilton.

Special Counsel

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith told lawmakers he stands by his decision to bring criminal charges against then-former President Trump, maintaining that his investigation followed the facts and the law as he testified before the House Judiciary Committee.

• "No one should be above the law in this country, and the law required that he be held to account, so that is what I did," he said.
  
  

• "To have done otherwise, on the facts of these cases, would have been to shirk my duties as a prosecutor and as a public servant."

Mr. Smith, who was appointed under the Biden administration, secured two indictments against Mr. Trump — one tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and one alleging mishandling of national security documents.

• Both cases were dropped after Mr. Trump won the 2024 election, but Mr. Smith maintained he would have secured convictions had they gone to trial.

The longtime prosecutor said Mr. Trump pursued a criminal scheme to overturn the 2020 results rather than accept defeat, and illegally kept classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after leaving office in January 2021, repeatedly trying to obstruct justice to conceal their retention.

• "Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in criminal activity," he told lawmakers.
  
  

• "If asked whether to prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether that president was a Democrat or a Republican."

Republicans used the hearing to portray Mr. Smith's work as part of a broader effort by Democrats to derail Mr. Trump's reelection campaign.

• They focused much of their questioning on Mr. Smith's decision to seek a court order for metadata connected to phone calls involving Mr. Trump and his allies, including nine Republican lawmakers, as they sought to overturn the election results.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the committee's chair, accused Mr. Smith of interfering in the democratic process by trying to "muzzle" a candidate for high office.

• "It was always about politics, and to get President Trump, they were willing to do just about anything," he said in his opening statement. "The good news is, the American people saw through it."

Mr. Smith rejected that politics influenced his decision-making and said his team "took actions based on the facts and the law."

• "I made my decisions without regard to President Trump's political association, activities, beliefs or candidacy in the 2024 election," he said.
  
  

• "President Trump was charged because the evidence established that he willfully broke the law, the very laws he took an oath to uphold."

Democrats praised Mr. Smith as a public servant and pushed back on Republican claims that his investigation was politically motivated.

• "The good chairman started by saying 'it's all about the politics.' Well, maybe for them, but for us, it's all about the rule of law," Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the ranking member, said in his opening statement.

As the hearing was underway, President Trump called Mr. Smith a "deranged animal" on social media and suggested Attorney General Pam Bondi investigate him.

• "The whole thing was a Democrat SCAM — A big price should be paid by them for what they have put our Country through!" the president wrote on Truth Social.

Mr. Smith said he expected the Trump Justice Department to try to bring criminal charges against him but said he would not be intimidated.

• "The statements are meant to intimidate me," he said. "I will not be intimidated. I think these statements are also made as a warning to others what will happen if they stand up."

Watch the House hearing, which will also re-air on C-SPAN2 at 8pm ET.

Board of Peace

President Trump launched his "Board of Peace," portraying it as a tool to resolve global conflicts with a scope rivaling the United Nations, which he has long criticized as ineffectual.

• "Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do, and we'll do it in conjunction with the United Nations," he said at the signing ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
  
  

• "You know, I've always said the United Nations has got tremendous potential, has not used it, but there's tremendous potential in the United Nations."

The board was initially conceived to oversee postwar governance and reconstruction in Gaza, but the White House is now casting it as a body to resolve disputes around the globe and has invited dozens of countries to sign on.

• "This isn't the United States, this is for the world," President Trump said. "I think we can spread it out to other things as we succeed in Gaza."

Representatives from 19 countries attended the signing, though only two were from European Union nations: Hungary and Bulgaria.

• Other countries represented included Argentina, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Belarus and Pakistan. Israel also said it will join, though it has raised concerns about the makeup of one of the board's key committees.
  
  

• The administration said it expects more countries to join in the future, and the White House said participation will require a $1 billion contribution.

Many traditional U.S. allies — including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Slovenia — declined to participate, raising concerns about how the board would operate alongside the U.N. and drawing the ire of President Trump.

• Canada, Russia, China and Ukraine are among those that have not yet responded, saying they want more time to study the proposal.

Members of the executive board include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Apollo CEO Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and security adviser Robert Gabriel.

• President Trump will serve as the board's indefinite chair, a position he could potentially hold for life.

Watch the signing ceremony.

In other news…

• The House approved four more appropriations bills ahead of the Jan. 30 government funding deadline, as lawmakers scrambled to head home before a snowstorm hits the DC area. The Homeland Security bill passed 220–207, with seven Democrats voting in favor and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) voting against. Three other bills — funding the Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development departments — passed with broader bipartisan support on a 341–88 vote. The four bills will be packaged with two previously approved measures funding the State and Treasury departments into a six-bill minibus for Senate consideration.
  
  

• The House narrowly defeated a war powers resolution to block future U.S. military action in or against Venezuela without congressional authorization, with the vote ending in a 215–215 tie. Two Republicans — Reps. Don Bacon (NE) and Thomas Massie (KY) — joined all Democrats in support. Lawmakers also voted 217–211 to pass legislation ahead of the March for Life rally that would require colleges and universities that receive federal funding to provide information to help pregnant students carry a baby to term and care for the child after birth. Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX) was the only Democrat to vote in favor.
  
  

• Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) filed paperwork to run for Minnesota governor, signaling her likely entrance into the contest to succeed Gov. Tim Walz (D), who ended his bid for a third term earlier this month. The senator is expected to make a public announcement in the coming days. The 65-year-old first won election to the Senate in 2006 and ran for president in 2020.
  
  

• President Trump sued JPMorgan Chase and its CEO, Jamie Dimon, for $5 billion, alleging the company stopped providing banking services to him and his business for political reasons after his first term. The lawsuit claims the bank closed multiple accounts in February 2021 with 60 days' notice and no explanation, which Mr. Trump said disrupted operations and cost him millions. JPMorgan Chase denied closing the accounts for political reasons and said the lawsuit was without merit.
  
  

• Paris Hilton urged the House to pass the bipartisan DEFIANCE Act, which would allow victims of nonconsensual AI-generated sexual imagery, often referred to as "deepfakes," to sue creators and distributors for damages. "Too many women are afraid to exist online, or sometimes, to exist at all," she said at a press conference on Capitol Hill, flanked by female lawmakers. "This isn't just about technology, it's about power." The Senate approved the bill unanimously earlier this month.

For your radar…

• Pro-life advocates attend the annual March for Life rally in Washington, DC, on Friday. Speakers include Vice President JD Vance, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ). Watch LIVE on C-SPAN at 12pm ET.

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