Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the committee, heaped praise on Smith in his opening remarks, thanking him for appearing before the committee and for his work, despite intense criticism from the GOP and the president. 

“Mr. Smith, thank you for appearing before the American people. I’m glad that the committee has finally granted you the same chance to report your findings to the American people that every other special counsel investigating an American president has had,” Raskin said.

The Maryland Democrat acknowledged Jordan’s opening statement. He said “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 — and who’s going to stand by the rule of law and who’s going to oppose it.”

Raskin called Smith “one of America’s great prosecutors,” citing his background working under Republicans and Democrats in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the Eastern District of New York and at the Justice Department.   

“While others may have devoted their lives to corrupt self-enrichment, you have devoted your life to the rule of law and to public service,” Raskin added.

“But Donald Trump says you’re a criminal and you belong in prison,” Raskin continued. “Not because you did anything wrong, mind you, but because you did everything right. You pursued the facts, you followed the law, you stuck with extreme caution to every rule of professional responsibility. You had the audacity to do your job.”