Obama’s Subtle Critique Coincides With Push to Release Smith’s Testimony on Trump Inquiries

WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama, known for his measured public interventions, appeared to offer indirect commentary this week on the ongoing partisan battles surrounding the investigations into President Trump, as pressure builds for the public release of videotaped testimony from Jack Smith, the former special counsel who led two now-defunct federal cases against Mr. Trump.

In remarks at a private event in Chicago on Tuesday, Mr. Obama, without naming Mr. Trump, spoke of the perils of clinging to disputed narratives in public life. “There comes a point,” he said, according to attendees, “where trying to salvage a story that doesn’t hold up only amplifies the underlying harm.” He went on to praise individuals who remain “courageous and grounded in principle” amid intense scrutiny, a description that allies interpreted as a nod to Mr. Smith.

The timing of Mr. Obama’s comments — delivered just days after Mr. Smith’s lawyers formally requested the release of his full nine-hour deposition before the House Judiciary Committee — has fueled speculation among Democrats that the former president is signaling quiet support for greater transparency in the matter.

Mr. Smith, who prosecuted Mr. Trump on charges related to the retention of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election before the cases were dropped following Mr. Trump’s re-election, testified behind closed doors on Dec. 17. In portions of his opening statement that have since become public, Mr. Smith asserted that his team had developed “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that Mr. Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to subvert the election results. He also described “powerful evidence” of willful retention of classified materials and obstruction of justice.

In a letter dated Dec. 18 to Representative Jim Jordan, the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Smith’s attorneys, Lanny A. Breuer and Peter Koski, urged the “prompt public release” of the videotaped deposition. “Doing so will ensure that the American people can hear the facts directly from Mr. Smith, rather than through second-hand accounts,” the letter stated. They reiterated a prior request for an open hearing, arguing that Mr. Smith had “steadfastly followed Justice Department policies” and based his actions “on the facts and the law.”

Republican leaders have resisted calls for public disclosure, citing the need for thorough review and concerns over selective leaks. Mr. Jordan has not ruled out eventual release but has emphasized the committee’s focus on examining what he has called potential abuses in the prior administration’s Justice Department. Democrats on the panel, including Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, have countered that withholding the video risks distorting Mr. Smith’s testimony and deprives the public of unfiltered insight into the basis for the abandoned prosecutions.

The episode has revived bitter divisions over the investigations that shadowed Mr. Trump’s 2024 campaign. Mr. Trump and his allies have long portrayed Mr. Smith as a politically motivated prosecutor, with the president repeatedly labeling him “deranged” and calling for investigations into his conduct. Yet some Republicans have privately expressed unease about a full public airing, fearing it could lend credibility to Mr. Smith’s detailed defenses of his work.

Mr. Obama’s remarks, while characteristically restrained, have been seized upon by Democratic strategists as a timely intervention. One former Obama administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the comments as “classic Barack — not a direct attack, but a clear contrast between principle and spin.” The former president has largely avoided overt criticism of Mr. Trump since leaving office, intervening sparingly on issues like voting rights and democratic norms.

Insiders close to Mr. Obama say his words were not scripted in coordination with Mr. Smith’s team but reflected a broader concern about the erosion of public trust in institutions amid relentless narrative warfare. “He’s watching the same developments we all are,” the official said. “When transparency is blocked and facts are filtered through partisanship, it only deepens the damage.”

The push for release comes as the Trump administration continues broader efforts to review and, in some cases, revisit actions taken by prosecutors involved in cases against the president. Several career officials linked to Mr. Smith’s investigations have faced personnel actions, heightening the stakes around any public accounting of his findings.

As Christmas approaches, the standoff over the video remains unresolved. Democrats argue that sunlight would vindicate Mr. Smith’s insistence that the cases “rest entirely with President Trump and his actions.” Republicans maintain that the closed session allowed for candid questioning without grandstanding.

Whatever the outcome, the convergence of Mr. Obama’s veiled critique and Mr. Smith’s demand for openness has reignited debate over accountability, retribution and the lingering shadow of the 2020 election — issues that continue to define America’s polarized political landscape.