Jack Smith says the January 6 attack would not have happened without Donald Trump, calling him the most responsible figure in the effort to overturn the 2020 election. In newly released deposition testimony, the former special counsel said the evidence showed Trump knowingly spread false fraud claims, directed allies’ actions, and then refused to stop the violence as it unfolded. “The evidence here made clear that President Trump was by a large measure the most culpable and most responsible person in this conspiracy,” Smith said. “These crimes were committed for his benefit.” Smith said the evidence showed Trump’s actions directly led to the Capitol riot. “The attack that happened at the Capitol, part of this case, does not happen without him,” Smith said. “The other co-conspirators were doing this for his benefit.”

Jack Smith says the January 6 attack would not have happened without Donald Trump, calling him the most responsible figure in the effort to overturn the 2020 election.

In newly released deposition testimony, the former special counsel said the evidence showed Trump knowingly spread false fraud claims, directed allies’ actions, and then refused to stop the violence as it unfolded.

“The evidence here made clear that President Trump was by a large measure the most culpable and most responsible person in this conspiracy,” Smith said. “These crimes were committed for his benefit.” Smith said the evidence showed Trump’s actions directly led to the Capitol riot. “The attack that happened at the Capitol, part of this case, does not happen without him,” Smith said. “The other co-conspirators were doing this for his benefit.”

Former special counsel Jack Smith said the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol would not have occurred without Donald Trump, identifying the former president as the central figure in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. In newly released deposition testimony, Smith said the evidence showed Trump knowingly promoted false claims of widespread voter fraud and directed the actions of allies who worked to keep him in power after he lost the election.

According to Smith, the record demonstrated that Trump continued to push these claims despite being told they were untrue, and that he failed to act to stop the violence once it began. Smith described Trump as “by a large measure the most culpable and most responsible person” in what he characterized as a conspiracy tied to the events of January 6, saying the actions of others were carried out for Trump’s benefit.

“The attack that happened at the Capitol does not happen without him,” Smith said, adding that Trump’s conduct directly led to the riot. The deposition underscores the prosecution’s argument that the events of January 6 were not spontaneous, but the result of sustained efforts driven by the former president to overturn the election outcome.