Investigative Journalist Julie Kelly Exposes False Claims by Former Special Counsel Jack Smith on Trump Prosecutions

Investigative journalist Julie Kelly has accused former special counsel Jack Smith of making multiple false and misleading claims about his prosecutions of President Donald Trump. In a detailed social media thread, Kelly outlined what she described as a series of “lies” related to the 2020 election interference case, the classified documents investigation, and Smith’s handling of court proceedings.

Kelly disputed Smith’s recent public defense of his work as special counsel, arguing that court records and subsequent judicial rulings undermine his narrative. She highlighted portions of a closed-door testimony transcript released by the House Judiciary Committee on December 17, in which Smith falsely claimed he was not driven by the 2024 election calendar. Instead, Kelly described Smith’s “extraordinary” request for the Supreme Court to immediately address presidential immunity questions in late 2023.

According to Kelly, Smith sought intervention from the Supreme Court after U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an Obama appointee, denied Trump all claims of presidential immunity. The Supreme Court declined Smith’s request, and the appeals court upheld Chutkan’s ruling in February 2024. In July 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents enjoy broad immunity for official acts—a decision that significantly narrowed Smith’s indictment in the election interference case.

Kelly also challenged Smith’s characterization of January 6, 2021, Capitol events as an “attack.” She described the protest as “unarmed” and disputed claims that 140 police officers were injured. Smith’s election interference indictment included four counts: two under obstruction statute 18 U.S.C. 1512(c)(2), which the Supreme Court later ruled was improperly applied in January 6 prosecutions, and vague conspiracy charges involving fraud and threats to rights.

Kelly rejected Smith’s assertion that a January 6 tweet from Trump criticizing former Vice President Mike Pence endangered Pence’s life. She noted that the Capitol breach began at approximately 2:12 p.m. local time and that Trump issued messages about 25 minutes later urging calm compliance with law enforcement. Kelly also contested Smith’s misrepresentation of a dispute with Twitter over a nondisclosure order seeking Trump’s account data, stating Twitter sought appellate relief after U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell—another Obama appointee—imposed what Kelly called an unreasonable deadline, later fining the company $350,000 for brief delays.

Additionally, Kelly disputed Smith’s claim that Trump should be treated like any “normal person” regarding records. She cited testimony from a National Archives official confirming every president retains classified materials and noted prosecutors admitted the Trump case was the first espionage-related charge brought against a high-ranking elected official for document retention.

Smith has not publicly responded to Kelly’s specific claims.