Former special counsel Jack Smith's appearance before the House Judiciary Committee reinforced Republicans' contentions that he pursued legal charges against President Donald Trump for political reasons, Rep. Ben Cline said on Newsmax Friday.
"It was very clear that the evidence was beyond a reasonable doubt that Jack Smith weaponized the government to target Donald Trump," the Virginia Republican told Newsmax's "Wake Up America."
"The members of the Judiciary Committee laid out their case in clear detail," he added. "He did not have much to answer for that."
Smith told a House panel on Thursday that Trump was "looking for ways to stay in power" after his loss in the 2020 election, and defended his decision to file federal cases against him.
Republican lawmakers, during the hearing, sought to discredit Smith's investigations while backing Trump's ongoing claims that the probes abused the federal legal system.
Cline also pointed to Smith's prior work as a prosecutor, referencing the corruption case against former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell that was later overturned by the Supreme Court.
"We also talked about his past failings," Cline said. "For example, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who Jack Smith went after but was reversed 9-0 by the Supreme Court."
Cline said lawmakers support Capitol law enforcement but suggested Smith was unprepared for questioning.
"We support our Capitol law enforcement, and tempers were very hot in that room, but it's clear that Jack Smith was not ready for his questioning by the Judiciary Committee," Cline said.
"It's clear that his actions when he went after Donald Trump were not based on law, but based on his own personal agenda," he added.
The conversation later shifted to government funding, with the host noting the House passed final funding bills with one week left before the deadline and that a handful of Democrats voted for Homeland Security funding.
Cline said Republicans were "glad" the House advanced the bills and criticized Democrats for opposing the Homeland Security measure.
"We were glad that we were able to come together and pass the bills over Democrat objections," he said.
"It's clear that Democrats don't want to actually enforce our borders, don't want to enforce our laws, don't want to support our law enforcement officers when they're out there.
Cline said Republicans would continue backing border and law enforcement efforts.
"But we stand with the men and women of law enforcement will continue to fund, give them the resources they need to get the job done and protect Americans," he said.
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