At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this afternoon, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) stood up for former Special Counsel Jack Smith and for the rule of law.

Ahead of the Nov. 3rd election, Republicans want Trump's Justice Department to prosecute Smith for undertaking two criminal probes of Trump's actions on Jan. 6th, 2021, when Trump incited a riot to attack the United States Capitol to overturn the results of the 2020 election he lost.

[The riot] "was confirmed by Republicans and now we're trying to prosecute a prosecutor," said Booker. "People who savagely beat police officers were pardoned [by Trump]. Career prosecutors and career FBI agents... they've been fired unlawfully, publicly vilified and attacked in every way. They have been thrown into the fires - Americans, prosecutors and FBI agents investigating the beating of police officers.

"People like you," Booker continued, directing his remarks at Smith, "who stood up, thrown into a hate machine where it's not even safe to go to the grocery store right now, where [Republicans are] pushing a false narrative that somehow Donald Trump is the victim."

Booker shredded Trump, who as President "has enriched his family in unconscionable ways while Americans lose their health insurance."

The senior Senator from New Jersey noted the inability of Trump's handpicked candidates for federal judgeships to acknowledge that he lost the 2020 election. And now GOP lawmakers are trying to gain some political traction with their base by going after Smith.

"We have people who repeat the big lie, who can't even tell the truth," Booker railed. "I cannot sit here and let your reputation further be besmirched. This is not fair to you or your family. ...dragging in a prosecutor leader to try to perpetrate this lie.

"Every person they bring through here, when asked, 'Did Donald Trump win the 2020 election?' cant say it," the senator added. "This is an eight-year attempt to lie to the American people. Right before the election, this is what they want to spend their time on: perpetrating a lie. They are more concerned with Trump than the truth."

Prior to Booker, in his opening statement to the committee, Smith said, "I stand by my decisions as special counsel, including my decision to bring charges against President Trump. I made these decisions without regard to President Trump’s political association, activities, beliefs, or candidacy in the 2024 presidential election."

Booker later recounted Trump's attempt to short-circuit the peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 6th, 2021, when he turned a mob against his own vice president, who tried to certify the election results.

"We who were here on Jan. 6th remember our evacuated colleagues running for safety and a crowd chanting for the death of the vice president of the United States to stop the peaceful transfer of power," said Booker. "Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. ...His own justice department told him there was no evidence of widespread fraud sufficient to challenge the outcome."