Jack Smith exudes calm and dignity in the midst of storm. I listened to part of his testimony. I did not see exactly who was questioning, but did notice the initial questions being posited, were intended to trip Mr. Smith up, to get him to state something they could use against him. It failed bigly. He was so calm, stated he followed the law, followed the information and data, followed writs and subpoenas as written, was narrow in acquisitions, talked daily to those tasked with investigations as well as Garland. And clearly responded to questions without elaboration or gaslighting. Very refreshing after listening to TDS2 cabinet members ‘testifying’. I am so glad there are written records, oral documentation, and also video of his testimony. Now I am very curious about the part he was not allowed to speak about. Apparently, Judge Canon squashed that.
It is also good that this will haunt TDS2 and the regime+ GOP. Fantastic 2025 Coda and ready for 2026 reset!
Thanks for all you do, Jack. Your excellent columns on events with material to help us understand, deal with, or prepare has been a godsend. May you enjoy New Year’s Eve and have a blessed and very Happy New Year 2026!
The questioning WAS designed to trip him...invite speculation...force overreach..create a clip that could be weaponized later.
And...the fact that it failed so cleanly...tells you everything you need to know about how disciplined that testimony was!
Smith stayed inside the lane of law...process...and record. No dramatics. No defensiveness. No excess words...that could be twisted later.
That kind of restraint doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the posture of someone who understands that what matters most isn’t how the moment feels...but how it reads... replays...and ages.
Your contrast with other recent “testimony” is an important one.
What made Smith’s appearance refreshing is precisely what makes it consequential:
clarity without spin...answers without performance...and an obvious awareness that this record will be revisited long after today’s politics have shifted.
And...you’re right to be curious about what he wasn’t allowed to discuss. When material is limited by a judge...it doesn’t disappear...it just moves to a different venue or a different time.
History is full of examples where the suppressed parts turn out to be the MOST revealing later on.
I appreciate your note more than I can easily put into words.
Knowing that the work helps people understand...orient...and prepare...not just react...is exactly why I keep doing it.
Ending 2025 with readers like YOU engaged...thoughtful...and ready for what comes next feels like the right coda.
Wishing you a peaceful New Year’s Eve and a strong...clear-eyed start to 2026, Jo!
Rae...that’s exactly it...he did the job. No theatrics...no shortcuts...no freelancing. Just discipline...procedure...and respect for the record. A masterclass is the right word.
And...I get the relief you’re describing. When you’ve been watching years of distortion... evasion...and bad-faith performance...seeing someone simply do the work by the book can feel almost surreal.
It’s not flashy...but it’s deeply satisfying...because it’s how accountability actually gets built.
Your last line made me laugh...but it also lands on something real. The challenge now isn’t competence...it’s restraint. The power of what Smith did is precisely that he didn’t try to blow anything up.
He let the facts sit where they belong and trusted that time and record will do their work.
That kind of patience is rare. And it’s why this chapter matters.
Thanks for sharing this...and for sticking through the l o n g... stretch it took to get here!
Jack Smith is my Man of the Decade! History will remember him in a special light that sheds truth on our history for our children and grandchildren. I am happy he testified and the records are now safe for the future. God Bless Jack Smith for working to save our Democracy's real history of Trump forever! Now let him write an autobiography for history to be published when he can. I may not live to read it, but my son and grandson will! This is a good way to end a bad political year.
Jack Hopkins, I wish you and yours a very Happy New Year! You are a guiding light to this sassy old lady.
Brenda...that’s incredibly generous...and deeply moving to read.
What Jack Smith represents for so many people...isn’t just a single investigation or testimony. It’s the reassurance...that someone was willing to do the work carefully... lawfully...and without theatrics...so the record would exist for the future...no matter how uncomfortable it made the present.
You’re right about the importance of that record. History doesn’t survive on vibes or slogans....it survives on documentation...sworn testimony...and people who are willing to let the TRUTH sit there quietly...until the time comes for it to be understood.
That’s the gift Smith leaves behind...something solid for future generations to study... without the fog of spin.
And...thank you for your kind words to me. Being called a “guiding light” is something I don’t take lightly at all.
Knowing the work resonates with sharp...thoughtful readers like you...especially after such a bruising political year...means more than I can easily say.
Wishing YOU and your family a peaceful...hopeful New Year. And thank you for being here...engaged...and unapologetically clear-eyed.
Thank you for your work all year! This post is right on the money. Transcript testimony is so powerful. Video of that testimony drives the dagger through any lying heart. - I’m a former trial lawyer and judge and was on both ends of the dagger with my clients. Thanks Jack!!!
Thank you! Coming from someone who’s actually lived on both sides of the courtroom... that means a great deal.
You’re exactly right about the power of transcript and video testimony. Once words are sworn...recorded...and preserved...they take on a life of their own. (And from the fits being thrown by MAGA...over on X...that "life," they've taken on...is scaring them.)
They don’t bend to spin...they don’t forget...and they don’t need volume to do damage.
As you know...better than most...that’s where credibility either holds...or collapses.
Your phrase “drives the dagger” is apt...because the real force isn’t theatrical. It’s cumulative.
It’s the quiet inevitability of a clean record...meeting a false narrative later on.
I appreciate you reading all year...and I appreciate you taking the time to say this. It reinforces why focusing on record...process...and durability matters far more than chasing the moment.
Jim Jordan is so ignorant. He thinks/thought he would be smarter than Jack Smith. HA! Issuing a subpoena for Smith to testify was a GIFT. You don't serve as a specialist prosecutor at The Hague without possessing a high degree of intelligence and acumen --- something that seems to have been forgotten by many of these banty-rooster republicans strutting around.
Ytram...just the name "Jim Jordan" gets me fired up. Jim Jordan really thought he was smarter than Jack Smith.
That’s the funny part.
You don’t serve as a specialist prosecutor at The Hague without being exceptionally sharp...strategic...disciplined...and several moves ahead. That kind of role isn’t handed to loud people. It’s given to killers...who win quietly.
So issuing a subpoena for Smith to testify?
Not a flex.
A GIFT.
An open invitation...for a world-class prosecutor...to step into the light while banty-rooster Republicans (perfect, by the way) strut...puff their chests...and confuse volume for intelligence.
Real power doesn’t grandstand.
It documents.
It WAITS.
And it lets the other side embarrass itself.
Watching Jordan think he outplayed Jack Smith...is like watching someone challenge a chess grandmaster because they just learned the rules.
Entertaining? Sure.
Smart? Not even close. Jordan is bottom of the slop bucket kind of MAGA.
Banty-rooster Republicans! Love it. TRUE STORY: My grandfather had a chicken farm. A rooster 🐓 made the mistake of flogging my sister so grandma grabbed him, rung his neck and we had chicken and dumplings for supper. Repubs need to be aware that Democrat grandmas protect their grandkids when a damn smarta$$ Republican rooster hurts one of them. They might just wind up in the strew pot for supper!
A fine coda to a fucked year. I was actually sorta looking forward to this one when I saw the news of the release, and what you write is an articulation of the way I feel about this event, only a lot more succinct and detail specific. Not to mention framing it in a way that’s outside of my skill set and for that matter, imagination. But we’ve come to expect no less.
Thanks for being a continued inspiration. Now get some rest, take personal time, we’ll survive- and not just wishing a very happy new year to you and yours, but sending much gratitude.
Randy...that means more than you probably realize.
This year tried to break a lot of people. The fact that you could see the shape of what was happening...and then recognize it articulated cleanly...tells me you’re paying attention at a level most never reach.
You already had the instinct. I just put sharper edges on it...and framed it in a way that makes it harder to ignore.
And you’re right about one thing that matters most:
we’re not just surviving.
We’re still thinking. Still seeing. Still choosing NOT to surrender our imagination...even when the year does everything it can to grind it down.
I appreciate the gratitude, Randy...and I’m grateful right back. For the trust...the engagement...and the fact that you’re still here...still reading...still pushing.
I've been following Jack Smith for awhile. What a solid citizen! That he can wade into the swamp and remain standing, stalwart, and unwavering speaks to his incredible integrity. Back in June, my friend and I put together a sign for her to carry in the No Kings parade: a picture of Jack and, below it, JACK SMITH FOR PRESIDENT. I have mentioned this before in one of my thousands of comments on Substack. I have come to think that it's not a bad idea. He is an amazing example of what a patriot really looks like. He has my vote.
Jan, there’s a reason people like Jack Smith stand out right now...and it’s not charisma or volume.
It’s bearing.
The ability to walk straight into a swamp...ignore the noise...do the work...and keep your footing without preening or posturing? That’s integrity...under pressure. And pressure...is the only place integrity actually means anything.
What you’re responding to isn’t a fantasy of saviors...it’s competence plus restraint.
A public servant...who understands...that patriotism doesn’t announce itself. It shows up... follows the law...documents everything, and lets the record speak.
The sign made me smile...not because it’s realistic or not...but because it captures something true: people are starving for examples of quiet seriousness again.
Adults in the room. People who don’t confuse attention with purpose.
That instinct you have? It’s solid.
And...it says more about your CLARITY...than anyone else’s ambition.
Real patriotism looks boring to people who thrive on spectacle.
Thank you so much for everything you do specifically this last article.. WOW.. it’s amazing! Truly..I hope this New Year brings more insight and hopefully some peace.. 🤙🏽
Morgan...thank you...that really means a lot to me.
This last article mattered to write...and knowing it landed the way it did for you makes the effort feel more than worthwhile.
Moments like this are exactly why I keep going...even when the material is heavy and the landscape feels exhausting.
I share your hope for more insight...and yes...some peace too...in the year ahead. We’ll keep paying attention...but...we’ll also keep grounding ourselves along the way.
Wishing you a calm...restorative New Year...and thank you for being here!
Jack, thank you for this! You have articulated what I’ve sensed but couldn’t put into words. The first time I saw Jack Smith and heard him speak, I had a sense that NO ONE (unless you are supremely stupid) is wise to eff with him. I was very disappointed when his case was slow walked then dismissed once the new regime took office. I was surprised the transcript of his deposition before the congressional committee was posted and quickly downloaded it just in case it disappears.
I thought early on that Smith would be the downfall of t. Based on what you’ve laid out, he is, just in a different way than I’d thought. It will be very interesting to see how the R’s end up playing this. A trap indeed!
Again, thank you! and may you and those you love have a fantastic 2026.
Deb, you’re not wrong...and...you weren’t imagining it.
Some people project force. Others carry it quietly. The moment Jack Smith spoke...it was obvious which category he falls into. Unless someone is willfully blind...or terminally unserious...they understand instinctively: this is NOT a man you toy with.
Your disappointment over the case being slow-walked is shared by many (myself included) who understand how accountability...is supposed to function. But...what you’re seeing now is the longer game...revealing itself.
Not a theatrical downfall...but a structural one. Records. Transcripts. Process. Memory... that doesn’t disappear...just because a new regime walks in the door.
Downloading the transcript was smart! That instinct...to preserve...to document...to assume things matter later...is exactly how truth survives pressure.
And you’ve put your finger on the key shift: Smith may still be consequential...just not in the way most people expected. Sometimes the trap isn’t a dramatic moment. It’s letting others...step FULLY into the record they’re creating.
How Republicans play this from here...will tell us a lot. Noise versus discipline. Posturing... versus consequence.
Thank you for the thoughtfulness, Deb...and for paying attention at this level.
Wishing you and those you love a steady...clear-eyed...and meaningful 2026!
Thank you for this. Have not read more then the first 20 pages or so, but the rest is for tomorrow. Happy New Year, Jack. #HoldFast and here's to more sanity.
Roberta...you’re very welcome...and thank YOU for taking the time to read at your own pace.
This is the kind of piece that’s better absorbed in stretches anyway...not rushed.
I appreciate the sentiment more than you know. “Hold fast” is exactly right...steady...clear-eyed...and grounded in reality....even when things feel unsettled.
Wishing you a peaceful New Year...and plenty more sanity in the year ahead. I’m glad you’re here!
Jack, my husband is an AF vet, I worked for the DoD helping first soldiers learn to read, then AF families learn to cope with military life. Can't sit on the sidelines now. Too much at stake. So tonight, open the doors, let the old year out the back, welcome 2026 through the front door where we #HoldFast or lose it all.
Roberta...I hear you...and I respect the hell out of it.
Service has a way of stripping away the luxury of detachment. When you’ve lived inside institutions that protect the country...and seen firsthand the cost when people stop caring...you don’t get to “sit this one out.” Not morally. Not practically.
You and your husband...already paid in ways most people only talk about. That gives you clarity...not nostalgia.
Opening the doors last night...letting the old year go...and welcoming 2026 with eyes open isn’t symbolism...it’s orientation. It’s choosing to hold fast...because you know what happens...when people don’t.
There is too much at stake.
And...people like YOU...are exactly why we’re still standing.
10 pm on New Year’s Eve, reading how Jack Smith and Jack Hopkins both approach situations calmly. I love it. It drives them crazy and they can’t un-see it. Thank you for the lessons this year 💕👹
Calm is kryptonite to people who live on outrage. When someone refuses to match their volume...refuses to rush...refuses to perform...they lose their grip. And once they see it..you're right... they can’t UN-see it.
Whether it’s Jack Smith...in a legal arena...or me on the page...the principle is the same: clarity beats chaos every time. Calm isn’t passivity...it’s control.
I’m glad you picked that up this year. Those lessons COMPOUND. Once you learn to stay steady...while others spin...you’re operating on a different level altogether.
Thank you for reading...for noticing...and for sticking with me through a year that tested all of us.
Hurray for Jack Smith doing what he does best. The old saying "slow and steady wins the race". This was great to see all this become public as they refused to let him do this publicly and live. To have both video and written copies we can all see for ourselves. With all the criminality that drumpf is doing in Venezuela< Nigeria, Iran and another place he wants to attack we needed some good news. This gives all of us a boost coming into the new year. What will be interesting is to see what tomorrow brings from dear leader...I hope this helps to keep him from being able to takeoff r the 3 DC golf courses owned by the parks dept. I hope they bring litigation to stop him as from what i read he does not have the authority to cancel the agreement that was signed in 2020. #HOLDFAST everyone. We can do this.
Teri..slow and steady really DOES win the race...and that’s exactly what we just watched.
Jack Smith did what serious professionals do: he built the record carefully...methodically... and without theatrics.
They didn’t let him do it live...but in some ways this was better...video...transcripts... receipts. No spin required. Anyone who wants to know can see it for themselves.
That matters. Especially heading into a new year...when so much feels unstable and noisy. This wasn’t hype...it was SUBSTANCE. And substance...LASTS.
What comes next from “dear leader” is anyone’s guess...but...here’s the key difference now: the groundwork has been laid. The facts are out there...in a form that can’t be shouted down or memory-holed.
Even on issues like the D.C. golf courses...the reality is the same...contracts...authority...and law still exist...no matter how much bluster surrounds them.
Litigation...process...and patience are exactly where theatrics go to die.
This was good news. Not because it was flashy...but because it was durable.
Thank you for answering. I also recently read they tried to take one of the oil tankers and apparently this is the second one the military was not able to takeover. You are right this Jack Smith situation is just one of the boosts we need heading into 2026...#HOLD FAST
Patricia...funny how that noise disappeared, isn’t it?
For weeks...it was outrage and threats about seized phones. Then...BOOM; silence.
That usually happens when someone finally understands the rules of the room they’re in.
Subpoenas aren’t press releases. They’re leverage. And once it becomes clear that talking only creates more record...even the loudest people suddenly discover the value of shutting up.
Nothing says “message received” quite like collective quiet.
Sometimes the smartest move they make… is stopping themselves from making things worse.
Thank you for this Jack. I have nothing profound to add because you’ve already said what I needed to hear.. THIS MATTERED! It felt somewhat anticlimactic and in a way I guess it is but now I realize it’ll stick… not just for Trump but for the entire GOP. Jack Smith did his job. He did it as it should be done. He has the receipts and now they’re out there in a way that can’t be silenced. I’ve admired his calm, steady and very thorough work from the beginning and even more so now. You were right to end the year on this. Thank you!
A Happy and Blessed New Year to you and your family. See you on the flip side. We have work to do.
Susan, this absolutely mattered...and you nailed WHY.
History rarely feels cinematic while it’s being written. Accountability almost never arrives with a drumroll. It arrives with records...with facts preserved...with a trail that can’t be erased just because the news cycle moves on.
That’s what Jack Smith did. He didn’t perform. He didn’t posture. He built the record the way it’s supposed to be built...calmly...thoroughly...and with receipts that now exist outside ANYONE'S control.
That doesn’t just follow one man. It follows a party...a strategy...a PATTERN.
Anticlimax is often the disguise of permanence.:)
Ending the year here felt right...because it resets expectations: this wasn’t about a single moment of justice...it was about making sure the truth STICKS.
I appreciate the trust...the attention...and the resolve YOU bring. We're picking it back up in 2026!
.
Happy and blessed New Year to you and your family!
Jack, this outstanding, concluding newsletter of yours for 2025 is perfection to this reader’s mind! It is quiet in that it is the acceptable and much needed tonality, the peacefully stating of what is the loudest and most permanently sustainable, undeniable work I have seen, as put forth skillfully in Jack Smith’s quiet, yet determined and impactful wisdom, and expressed by you in needed, to the point exactness that nobody should miss! Thank you for this guidance through what must be recognized, for pointing out its permanence, and for assuring how its impact can be projected without dispute through time. This message of yours tonight is quite a New Year’s Eve gift!
JP...that’s exactly what I was aiming for...and I’m glad it landed.
Quiet isn’t absence of force. It’s what strength looks like...when it knows it doesn’t need to prove itself. What Jack Smith did...and what I wanted to make unmistakable...is build something permanent.
Not reactive. Not performative. Something that holds its shape over time...no matter WHO shouts at it.
You’re right to name sustainability. Loud moments fade. Records don’t. When work is done carefully...and honestly...its impact doesn’t rely on agreement...it relies on EXISTENCE.
I appreciate the care with which you read this...and the seriousness you bring to it. If it felt like a New Year’s Eve gift...that’s because it was meant as orientation more than celebration: a reminder of what ENDURES.
Thank YOU for being here...for holding the line...and for recognizing...what matters.
Thank you for your comment, Jack. You’re welcome for my thoughts. It is a pleasure to read whatever you write as often as I can because you enumerate, explain, elaborate, meet crucial topics of concern, give examples, and always add to my perspective and perceptions. I need that, and you always provide learning opportunities or give food for thought in past circumstances. Your information seems both current and timeless, as I see it.
I wish I could remember everything you write, but I do save each of your newsletters and wish I had begun reading them much sooner. Sometimes time is too scarce, but I always try to catch up with your writing because you share such valuable understandings.
Some people only restate the obvious situations or complain, and it is understandable that they need to share their feelings. Still, by comparison, you help us learn to read people and situations, teach us how to practice doing so, and provide us with tools to actually do something that could help us as individuals or provide ways we might be able to help other people. Whether or not I have time to answer, I am always grateful!
Jack Smith exudes calm and dignity in the midst of storm. I listened to part of his testimony. I did not see exactly who was questioning, but did notice the initial questions being posited, were intended to trip Mr. Smith up, to get him to state something they could use against him. It failed bigly. He was so calm, stated he followed the law, followed the information and data, followed writs and subpoenas as written, was narrow in acquisitions, talked daily to those tasked with investigations as well as Garland. And clearly responded to questions without elaboration or gaslighting. Very refreshing after listening to TDS2 cabinet members ‘testifying’. I am so glad there are written records, oral documentation, and also video of his testimony. Now I am very curious about the part he was not allowed to speak about. Apparently, Judge Canon squashed that.
It is also good that this will haunt TDS2 and the regime+ GOP. Fantastic 2025 Coda and ready for 2026 reset!
Thanks for all you do, Jack. Your excellent columns on events with material to help us understand, deal with, or prepare has been a godsend. May you enjoy New Year’s Eve and have a blessed and very Happy New Year 2026!
Jo...you picked up on exactly what mattered.
The questioning WAS designed to trip him...invite speculation...force overreach..create a clip that could be weaponized later.
And...the fact that it failed so cleanly...tells you everything you need to know about how disciplined that testimony was!
Smith stayed inside the lane of law...process...and record. No dramatics. No defensiveness. No excess words...that could be twisted later.
That kind of restraint doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the posture of someone who understands that what matters most isn’t how the moment feels...but how it reads... replays...and ages.
Your contrast with other recent “testimony” is an important one.
What made Smith’s appearance refreshing is precisely what makes it consequential:
clarity without spin...answers without performance...and an obvious awareness that this record will be revisited long after today’s politics have shifted.
And...you’re right to be curious about what he wasn’t allowed to discuss. When material is limited by a judge...it doesn’t disappear...it just moves to a different venue or a different time.
History is full of examples where the suppressed parts turn out to be the MOST revealing later on.
I appreciate your note more than I can easily put into words.
Knowing that the work helps people understand...orient...and prepare...not just react...is exactly why I keep doing it.
Ending 2025 with readers like YOU engaged...thoughtful...and ready for what comes next feels like the right coda.
Wishing you a peaceful New Year’s Eve and a strong...clear-eyed start to 2026, Jo!
-Jack
See you next year!
#HoldFast
i second, or to be more accurate, 38th these thoughts!
Jack Smith did his job.
He did it well, thoroughly and by the book. It was a masterclass. I’ve been waiting and hoping for just this kind of chapter to be written.
Right now it feels better than ice cream.
I just hope his handlers can keep him from blowing somebody up tomorrow.
#HoldFast
Rae...that’s exactly it...he did the job. No theatrics...no shortcuts...no freelancing. Just discipline...procedure...and respect for the record. A masterclass is the right word.
And...I get the relief you’re describing. When you’ve been watching years of distortion... evasion...and bad-faith performance...seeing someone simply do the work by the book can feel almost surreal.
It’s not flashy...but it’s deeply satisfying...because it’s how accountability actually gets built.
Your last line made me laugh...but it also lands on something real. The challenge now isn’t competence...it’s restraint. The power of what Smith did is precisely that he didn’t try to blow anything up.
He let the facts sit where they belong and trusted that time and record will do their work.
That kind of patience is rare. And it’s why this chapter matters.
Thanks for sharing this...and for sticking through the l o n g... stretch it took to get here!
-Jack
Right on Cherie!!👍
Jack Smith is my Man of the Decade! History will remember him in a special light that sheds truth on our history for our children and grandchildren. I am happy he testified and the records are now safe for the future. God Bless Jack Smith for working to save our Democracy's real history of Trump forever! Now let him write an autobiography for history to be published when he can. I may not live to read it, but my son and grandson will! This is a good way to end a bad political year.
Jack Hopkins, I wish you and yours a very Happy New Year! You are a guiding light to this sassy old lady.
Brenda...that’s incredibly generous...and deeply moving to read.
What Jack Smith represents for so many people...isn’t just a single investigation or testimony. It’s the reassurance...that someone was willing to do the work carefully... lawfully...and without theatrics...so the record would exist for the future...no matter how uncomfortable it made the present.
You’re right about the importance of that record. History doesn’t survive on vibes or slogans....it survives on documentation...sworn testimony...and people who are willing to let the TRUTH sit there quietly...until the time comes for it to be understood.
That’s the gift Smith leaves behind...something solid for future generations to study... without the fog of spin.
And...thank you for your kind words to me. Being called a “guiding light” is something I don’t take lightly at all.
Knowing the work resonates with sharp...thoughtful readers like you...especially after such a bruising political year...means more than I can easily say.
Wishing YOU and your family a peaceful...hopeful New Year. And thank you for being here...engaged...and unapologetically clear-eyed.
-Jack
Make that 2 sassy old ladies!🥰
:)
Three
:)
Four
Thank you for your work all year! This post is right on the money. Transcript testimony is so powerful. Video of that testimony drives the dagger through any lying heart. - I’m a former trial lawyer and judge and was on both ends of the dagger with my clients. Thanks Jack!!!
Thank you! Coming from someone who’s actually lived on both sides of the courtroom... that means a great deal.
You’re exactly right about the power of transcript and video testimony. Once words are sworn...recorded...and preserved...they take on a life of their own. (And from the fits being thrown by MAGA...over on X...that "life," they've taken on...is scaring them.)
They don’t bend to spin...they don’t forget...and they don’t need volume to do damage.
As you know...better than most...that’s where credibility either holds...or collapses.
Your phrase “drives the dagger” is apt...because the real force isn’t theatrical. It’s cumulative.
It’s the quiet inevitability of a clean record...meeting a false narrative later on.
I appreciate you reading all year...and I appreciate you taking the time to say this. It reinforces why focusing on record...process...and durability matters far more than chasing the moment.
-Jack
Jim Jordan is so ignorant. He thinks/thought he would be smarter than Jack Smith. HA! Issuing a subpoena for Smith to testify was a GIFT. You don't serve as a specialist prosecutor at The Hague without possessing a high degree of intelligence and acumen --- something that seems to have been forgotten by many of these banty-rooster republicans strutting around.
Ytram...just the name "Jim Jordan" gets me fired up. Jim Jordan really thought he was smarter than Jack Smith.
That’s the funny part.
You don’t serve as a specialist prosecutor at The Hague without being exceptionally sharp...strategic...disciplined...and several moves ahead. That kind of role isn’t handed to loud people. It’s given to killers...who win quietly.
So issuing a subpoena for Smith to testify?
Not a flex.
A GIFT.
An open invitation...for a world-class prosecutor...to step into the light while banty-rooster Republicans (perfect, by the way) strut...puff their chests...and confuse volume for intelligence.
Real power doesn’t grandstand.
It documents.
It WAITS.
And it lets the other side embarrass itself.
Watching Jordan think he outplayed Jack Smith...is like watching someone challenge a chess grandmaster because they just learned the rules.
Entertaining? Sure.
Smart? Not even close. Jordan is bottom of the slop bucket kind of MAGA.
Happy New Year!
-Jack
Banty-rooster Republicans! Love it. TRUE STORY: My grandfather had a chicken farm. A rooster 🐓 made the mistake of flogging my sister so grandma grabbed him, rung his neck and we had chicken and dumplings for supper. Repubs need to be aware that Democrat grandmas protect their grandkids when a damn smarta$$ Republican rooster hurts one of them. They might just wind up in the strew pot for supper!
A fine coda to a fucked year. I was actually sorta looking forward to this one when I saw the news of the release, and what you write is an articulation of the way I feel about this event, only a lot more succinct and detail specific. Not to mention framing it in a way that’s outside of my skill set and for that matter, imagination. But we’ve come to expect no less.
Thanks for being a continued inspiration. Now get some rest, take personal time, we’ll survive- and not just wishing a very happy new year to you and yours, but sending much gratitude.
Randy...that means more than you probably realize.
This year tried to break a lot of people. The fact that you could see the shape of what was happening...and then recognize it articulated cleanly...tells me you’re paying attention at a level most never reach.
You already had the instinct. I just put sharper edges on it...and framed it in a way that makes it harder to ignore.
And you’re right about one thing that matters most:
we’re not just surviving.
We’re still thinking. Still seeing. Still choosing NOT to surrender our imagination...even when the year does everything it can to grind it down.
I appreciate the gratitude, Randy...and I’m grateful right back. For the trust...the engagement...and the fact that you’re still here...still reading...still pushing.
Rest will happen. Perspective will sharpen.
And yes...we WILL survive.
Happy New Year to you and yours!
With real thanks.
-Jack
I've been following Jack Smith for awhile. What a solid citizen! That he can wade into the swamp and remain standing, stalwart, and unwavering speaks to his incredible integrity. Back in June, my friend and I put together a sign for her to carry in the No Kings parade: a picture of Jack and, below it, JACK SMITH FOR PRESIDENT. I have mentioned this before in one of my thousands of comments on Substack. I have come to think that it's not a bad idea. He is an amazing example of what a patriot really looks like. He has my vote.
Jan, there’s a reason people like Jack Smith stand out right now...and it’s not charisma or volume.
It’s bearing.
The ability to walk straight into a swamp...ignore the noise...do the work...and keep your footing without preening or posturing? That’s integrity...under pressure. And pressure...is the only place integrity actually means anything.
What you’re responding to isn’t a fantasy of saviors...it’s competence plus restraint.
A public servant...who understands...that patriotism doesn’t announce itself. It shows up... follows the law...documents everything, and lets the record speak.
The sign made me smile...not because it’s realistic or not...but because it captures something true: people are starving for examples of quiet seriousness again.
Adults in the room. People who don’t confuse attention with purpose.
That instinct you have? It’s solid.
And...it says more about your CLARITY...than anyone else’s ambition.
Real patriotism looks boring to people who thrive on spectacle.
That’s how you know...it’s REAL.
-Jack
Mine too Jan!!
Thank you so much for everything you do specifically this last article.. WOW.. it’s amazing! Truly..I hope this New Year brings more insight and hopefully some peace.. 🤙🏽
Morgan...thank you...that really means a lot to me.
This last article mattered to write...and knowing it landed the way it did for you makes the effort feel more than worthwhile.
Moments like this are exactly why I keep going...even when the material is heavy and the landscape feels exhausting.
I share your hope for more insight...and yes...some peace too...in the year ahead. We’ll keep paying attention...but...we’ll also keep grounding ourselves along the way.
Wishing you a calm...restorative New Year...and thank you for being here!
-Jack
You keep my anxiety at bay and that’s saying something. We move forward. One damn step at a time.. even if it’s just an inch..
Jack, thank you for this! You have articulated what I’ve sensed but couldn’t put into words. The first time I saw Jack Smith and heard him speak, I had a sense that NO ONE (unless you are supremely stupid) is wise to eff with him. I was very disappointed when his case was slow walked then dismissed once the new regime took office. I was surprised the transcript of his deposition before the congressional committee was posted and quickly downloaded it just in case it disappears.
I thought early on that Smith would be the downfall of t. Based on what you’ve laid out, he is, just in a different way than I’d thought. It will be very interesting to see how the R’s end up playing this. A trap indeed!
Again, thank you! and may you and those you love have a fantastic 2026.
Deb, you’re not wrong...and...you weren’t imagining it.
Some people project force. Others carry it quietly. The moment Jack Smith spoke...it was obvious which category he falls into. Unless someone is willfully blind...or terminally unserious...they understand instinctively: this is NOT a man you toy with.
Your disappointment over the case being slow-walked is shared by many (myself included) who understand how accountability...is supposed to function. But...what you’re seeing now is the longer game...revealing itself.
Not a theatrical downfall...but a structural one. Records. Transcripts. Process. Memory... that doesn’t disappear...just because a new regime walks in the door.
Downloading the transcript was smart! That instinct...to preserve...to document...to assume things matter later...is exactly how truth survives pressure.
And you’ve put your finger on the key shift: Smith may still be consequential...just not in the way most people expected. Sometimes the trap isn’t a dramatic moment. It’s letting others...step FULLY into the record they’re creating.
How Republicans play this from here...will tell us a lot. Noise versus discipline. Posturing... versus consequence.
Thank you for the thoughtfulness, Deb...and for paying attention at this level.
Wishing you and those you love a steady...clear-eyed...and meaningful 2026!
-Jack
Thank you for this. Have not read more then the first 20 pages or so, but the rest is for tomorrow. Happy New Year, Jack. #HoldFast and here's to more sanity.
Roberta...you’re very welcome...and thank YOU for taking the time to read at your own pace.
This is the kind of piece that’s better absorbed in stretches anyway...not rushed.
I appreciate the sentiment more than you know. “Hold fast” is exactly right...steady...clear-eyed...and grounded in reality....even when things feel unsettled.
Wishing you a peaceful New Year...and plenty more sanity in the year ahead. I’m glad you’re here!
-Jack
Jack, my husband is an AF vet, I worked for the DoD helping first soldiers learn to read, then AF families learn to cope with military life. Can't sit on the sidelines now. Too much at stake. So tonight, open the doors, let the old year out the back, welcome 2026 through the front door where we #HoldFast or lose it all.
Roberta...I hear you...and I respect the hell out of it.
Service has a way of stripping away the luxury of detachment. When you’ve lived inside institutions that protect the country...and seen firsthand the cost when people stop caring...you don’t get to “sit this one out.” Not morally. Not practically.
You and your husband...already paid in ways most people only talk about. That gives you clarity...not nostalgia.
Opening the doors last night...letting the old year go...and welcoming 2026 with eyes open isn’t symbolism...it’s orientation. It’s choosing to hold fast...because you know what happens...when people don’t.
There is too much at stake.
And...people like YOU...are exactly why we’re still standing.
We move forward clear-eyed.
Together.
-Jack
Thank you.
And to all, a goodbye 2025.
Thank you, Coco. Happy New Year!
-Jack
10 pm on New Year’s Eve, reading how Jack Smith and Jack Hopkins both approach situations calmly. I love it. It drives them crazy and they can’t un-see it. Thank you for the lessons this year 💕👹
Rachel...that’s not an accident you’re noticing.
Calm is kryptonite to people who live on outrage. When someone refuses to match their volume...refuses to rush...refuses to perform...they lose their grip. And once they see it..you're right... they can’t UN-see it.
Whether it’s Jack Smith...in a legal arena...or me on the page...the principle is the same: clarity beats chaos every time. Calm isn’t passivity...it’s control.
I’m glad you picked that up this year. Those lessons COMPOUND. Once you learn to stay steady...while others spin...you’re operating on a different level altogether.
Thank you for reading...for noticing...and for sticking with me through a year that tested all of us.
Here’s to a clear-eyed...unflappable 2026!
-Jack
Hurray for Jack Smith doing what he does best. The old saying "slow and steady wins the race". This was great to see all this become public as they refused to let him do this publicly and live. To have both video and written copies we can all see for ourselves. With all the criminality that drumpf is doing in Venezuela< Nigeria, Iran and another place he wants to attack we needed some good news. This gives all of us a boost coming into the new year. What will be interesting is to see what tomorrow brings from dear leader...I hope this helps to keep him from being able to takeoff r the 3 DC golf courses owned by the parks dept. I hope they bring litigation to stop him as from what i read he does not have the authority to cancel the agreement that was signed in 2020. #HOLDFAST everyone. We can do this.
Teri..slow and steady really DOES win the race...and that’s exactly what we just watched.
Jack Smith did what serious professionals do: he built the record carefully...methodically... and without theatrics.
They didn’t let him do it live...but in some ways this was better...video...transcripts... receipts. No spin required. Anyone who wants to know can see it for themselves.
That matters. Especially heading into a new year...when so much feels unstable and noisy. This wasn’t hype...it was SUBSTANCE. And substance...LASTS.
What comes next from “dear leader” is anyone’s guess...but...here’s the key difference now: the groundwork has been laid. The facts are out there...in a form that can’t be shouted down or memory-holed.
Even on issues like the D.C. golf courses...the reality is the same...contracts...authority...and law still exist...no matter how much bluster surrounds them.
Litigation...process...and patience are exactly where theatrics go to die.
This was good news. Not because it was flashy...but because it was durable.
Take the boost. We’ve earned it.
And you’re right:
#HOLDFAST
We CAN do this. And...we WILL.
-Jack
Thank you for answering. I also recently read they tried to take one of the oil tankers and apparently this is the second one the military was not able to takeover. You are right this Jack Smith situation is just one of the boosts we need heading into 2026...#HOLD FAST
I have noticed no more talk by the GOP about their phones being taken with subpoenas . They must’ve taken the hint, they need to shut up!
Patricia...funny how that noise disappeared, isn’t it?
For weeks...it was outrage and threats about seized phones. Then...BOOM; silence.
That usually happens when someone finally understands the rules of the room they’re in.
Subpoenas aren’t press releases. They’re leverage. And once it becomes clear that talking only creates more record...even the loudest people suddenly discover the value of shutting up.
Nothing says “message received” quite like collective quiet.
Sometimes the smartest move they make… is stopping themselves from making things worse.
#HoldFast
-Jack
Thank you for this Jack. I have nothing profound to add because you’ve already said what I needed to hear.. THIS MATTERED! It felt somewhat anticlimactic and in a way I guess it is but now I realize it’ll stick… not just for Trump but for the entire GOP. Jack Smith did his job. He did it as it should be done. He has the receipts and now they’re out there in a way that can’t be silenced. I’ve admired his calm, steady and very thorough work from the beginning and even more so now. You were right to end the year on this. Thank you!
A Happy and Blessed New Year to you and your family. See you on the flip side. We have work to do.
#HOLDFAST
~Susan
Susan, this absolutely mattered...and you nailed WHY.
History rarely feels cinematic while it’s being written. Accountability almost never arrives with a drumroll. It arrives with records...with facts preserved...with a trail that can’t be erased just because the news cycle moves on.
That’s what Jack Smith did. He didn’t perform. He didn’t posture. He built the record the way it’s supposed to be built...calmly...thoroughly...and with receipts that now exist outside ANYONE'S control.
That doesn’t just follow one man. It follows a party...a strategy...a PATTERN.
Anticlimax is often the disguise of permanence.:)
Ending the year here felt right...because it resets expectations: this wasn’t about a single moment of justice...it was about making sure the truth STICKS.
I appreciate the trust...the attention...and the resolve YOU bring. We're picking it back up in 2026!
.
Happy and blessed New Year to you and your family!
Rest up.
We do have work to do.
#HOLDFAST
-Jack
Jack, this outstanding, concluding newsletter of yours for 2025 is perfection to this reader’s mind! It is quiet in that it is the acceptable and much needed tonality, the peacefully stating of what is the loudest and most permanently sustainable, undeniable work I have seen, as put forth skillfully in Jack Smith’s quiet, yet determined and impactful wisdom, and expressed by you in needed, to the point exactness that nobody should miss! Thank you for this guidance through what must be recognized, for pointing out its permanence, and for assuring how its impact can be projected without dispute through time. This message of yours tonight is quite a New Year’s Eve gift!
Thank you, and #HOLDFAST!
JP...that’s exactly what I was aiming for...and I’m glad it landed.
Quiet isn’t absence of force. It’s what strength looks like...when it knows it doesn’t need to prove itself. What Jack Smith did...and what I wanted to make unmistakable...is build something permanent.
Not reactive. Not performative. Something that holds its shape over time...no matter WHO shouts at it.
You’re right to name sustainability. Loud moments fade. Records don’t. When work is done carefully...and honestly...its impact doesn’t rely on agreement...it relies on EXISTENCE.
I appreciate the care with which you read this...and the seriousness you bring to it. If it felt like a New Year’s Eve gift...that’s because it was meant as orientation more than celebration: a reminder of what ENDURES.
Thank YOU for being here...for holding the line...and for recognizing...what matters.
#HOLDFAST
-Jack
Thank you for your comment, Jack. You’re welcome for my thoughts. It is a pleasure to read whatever you write as often as I can because you enumerate, explain, elaborate, meet crucial topics of concern, give examples, and always add to my perspective and perceptions. I need that, and you always provide learning opportunities or give food for thought in past circumstances. Your information seems both current and timeless, as I see it.
I wish I could remember everything you write, but I do save each of your newsletters and wish I had begun reading them much sooner. Sometimes time is too scarce, but I always try to catch up with your writing because you share such valuable understandings.
Some people only restate the obvious situations or complain, and it is understandable that they need to share their feelings. Still, by comparison, you help us learn to read people and situations, teach us how to practice doing so, and provide us with tools to actually do something that could help us as individuals or provide ways we might be able to help other people. Whether or not I have time to answer, I am always grateful!