A federal judge slapped down former special counsel Jack Smith from releasing a report on President Donald Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office in January 2021. 
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, wrote in a Monday <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.648654/gov.uscourts.flsd.648654.779.0.pdf">ruling</a> that releasing the report would violate principles of fairness and justice. She said Smith undertook a “brazen” strategy by compiling the document even after she dismissed the classified document charges against Trump. 
Cannon wrote that releasing the report “would cause irreparable damage to former defendants from disclosure of non-public discovery material implicating still-contested grand jury and privilege concerns; and it would contravene basic notions of fairness and justice in the process, where no adjudication of guilt has been reached following initiation of criminal charges.”
Cannon <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-dismisses-trump-classified-documents-case">dismissed </a>the charges against Trump in July 2024, ruling that Smith’s appointment violated the Constitution&#8217;s Appointments Clause and that his office was not properly authorized. 
Despite her dismissal order, Cannon noted that Smith continued investigating Trump and compiling a report that was intended for release to congressional lawmakers.
Cannon wrote that, instead of seeking a stay or clarification of her order, Smith and his team “chose to circumvent it, for months, by taking the discovery generated in this case and compiling it in a final report for transmission to then-Attorney General Garland, to Congress, and then beyond.” 
“The Court need not countenance this brazen stratagem or effectively perpetuate the Special Counsel’s breach of this Court’s own order,” she added.
Cannon said releasing the report would deny Trump and his co-defendants a meaningful opportunity to respond to the allegations. Smith, however, has <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/trump-appointee-aileen-cannon-blocks-release-jack-smiths-report-classi-rcna260237">claimed</a> that he obtained “powerful evidence that showed Trump willfully retained highly classified documents” after leaving office in January 2021. 
Cannon wrote that the court &#8220;strains to find a situation in which a former special counsel has released a report after initiating criminal charges that did not result in a finding of guilt,&#8221; particularly where &#8220;the defendants contested the charges from the outset and still proclaim their innocence.&#8221;
Last month, Smith faced questions from lawmakers about his investigations into Trump. He also brought charges against Trump related to the January 6 Capitol riot, which were later dismissed after Trump&#8217;s election and before he returned to office in January 2025.

Former US Special Counsel Jack Smith Testifies Before House Judiciary Committee

Judge Rips Jack Smith’s ‘Brazen’ Attempt To Release Report On Trump Docs

classified documents

Courts

Donald Trump

Executive

federal judge

Jack Smith

Politics

Privacy concerns dominated a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing Tuesday as lawmakers examined how former special counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed phone records tied to Republican members of Congress during the Arctic Frost investigation.
Subcommittee chair Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), whose records were among those subpoenaed, told The Daily Wire the hearing was aimed at ensuring &#8220;this never happens to an American citizen again,&#8221; arguing the probe was &#8220;much deeper and much broader than Watergate.”
Smith subpoenaed the phone records of at least ten Republican senators and one GOP House member, according to The Hill.
A key moment focused on how AT&amp;T, Verizon, and T-Mobile handled at least 84 subpoenas related to Arctic Frost and other matters tied to Smith, <a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-demands-answers-from-telecom-companies-who-turned-congressional-phone-records-over-to-jack-smith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI).
Verizon acknowledged it had no internal process in place in May 2023 to identify when subpoenaed records belonged to a member of Congress.
“So what you are saying is that you had no process in place&#8230;and you had no way of identifying that something was a Member of Congress’ records?&#8221; Blackburn asked Verizon senior vice president and general counsel Chris Miller.
“That’s correct,” Miller replied.
Pressed on why Verizon did not follow AT&amp;T&#8217;s lead in flagging similar requests, Miller said AT&amp;T&#8217;s response &#8220;was a good catch,” prompting Blackburn to respond, “I didn’t ask you to speak for them. I asked why you did not take an action, and you did not.”
Blackburn told The Daily Wire that AT&amp;T ultimately flagged the congressional subpoenas internally after initially turning over records tied to Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX) and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
According to Blackburn, when AT&amp;T later received a request involving Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), someone in its legal department raised concerns about potential Speech and Debate Clause violations and contacted Smith&#8217;s team. She said AT&amp;T &#8220;never heard another word from Jack Smith.&#8221;
“Verizon and T-Mobile, on the other hand, turned over everything without questioning if there was a privacy violation,” Blackburn said, adding that they did not challenge the non-disclosure orders attached to the requests.
In his opening testimony, Miller said the subpoenas identified phone numbers, not names, and that the company was “now” aware some of the phone numbers belonged to members of Congress, including “personal lines, campaign lines, or official lines.” He said a judge had imposed a non-disclosure order on the request, which prevents them from notifying people involved, and that its response team determined the subpoenas were “valid and legal.”
“We fully complied with the law,&#8221; Miller said, while acknowledging the company &#8220;could have done better in terms of our process.&#8221; He added that Verizon has since worked with the Senate Sergeant at Arms to revise its handling of legal demands for congressional lines.
T-Mobile general counsel Mark Nelson similarly said that his company receives an “enormous volume” of law enforcement requests and treated the subpoenas &#8220;carefully, consistently, and in full compliance with the law.&#8221;
The Arctic Frost investigation ultimately led to a federal indictment of President Donald Trump related to his actions following the 2020 election. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
Democrats have criticized the hearings, arguing they amount to an attempt to &#8220;relitigate&#8221; the elections.
“EIGHT hearings to relitigate the 2020 presidential election,” Senate Judiciary Democrats posted to X. “ZERO are worth the time.”

Jack Smith House Hearing

Phone Carriers Face Heat After Turning Over Records Of GOP Lawmakers In Jack Smith Probe

Arctic Frost

Congress

Senate

President Donald Trump called for Jack Smith to be prosecuted after the former special counsel was grilled by lawmakers for hours about his decision to bring charges against the president in the lead-up to the 2024 election.
Smith faced questions on Thursday from the House Judiciary Committee about whether his investigations into Trump were politically motivated. Smith’s investigation included snooping through the president’s phone records and casting a wide net on Republican lawmakers and Trump allies.
“Based on his testimony today, there is no question that Deranged Jack Smith should be prosecuted for his actions,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115940718914667214">posted</a> on Truth Social. “He destroyed the lives of many innocent people, which has been his history as a prosecutor. At a minimum, he committed large scale perjury!”
Smith led investigations into Trump related to the January 6 riot and the president’s handling of classified documents. As part of this investigation, the Biden administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-justice-department-took-unprecedented-action-against-trump-bondi-reveals?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Biden’s+Justice+Department+Took+‘Unprecedented+Action’+Against+Trump%2C+Bondi+Reveals">turned over</a> Trump’s government-issued phone to Smith. Smith also subpoenaed all of Trump’s personal phone records.
Earlier on Thursday, Trump said that Smith was a “deranged animal” who should no longer be allowed to practice law.
“If he were a Republican, his license would be taken away from him, and far worse! Hopefully the Attorney General is looking at what he’s done, including some of the crooked and corrupt witnesses that he was attempting to use in his case against me. The whole thing was a Democrat SCAM — A big price should be paid by them for what they have put our Country through!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
According to the House Judiciary Committee, Smith <a href="https://x.com/JudiciaryGOP/status/2014330081619894394">approved</a> toll record subpoenas for members of Congress “without regard for whether the private communications were constitutionally protected.” Toll records show the length and time of phone calls in addition to who is speaking.
“Smith chose to target President Trump, and only President Trump, in his electors case—setting aside other targets so that he could secure an indictment of President Trump in advance of the election,” the House Judiciary Committee said ahead of the hearing.
Smith had four felony charges related to Trump’s actions following the 2020 election <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-persevered-against-all-odds-and-won-trump-celebrates-after-jack-smith-files-to-drop-charges?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=‘I+Persevered%2C+Against+All+Odds%2C+And+Won’%3A+Trump+Celebrates+After+Jack+Smith+Files+To+Drop+Charges">dropped</a> in the weeks after the 2024 election, when Trump soundly defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“It was a political hijacking, and a low point in the History of our Country that such a thing could have happened, and yet, I persevered, against all odds, and WON,” Trump said at the time as the charges were dropped.

Trump Calls For ‘Deranged’ Jack Smith To Be Prosecuted After Heated Hearing

House Oversight Committee

Special counsel Jack Smith testified in a fiery, hours-long House Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, where he faced questions about whether or not the investigations into President Donald Trump were politically motivated.
Smith was the top prosecutor in the indictments of President Donald Trump over his alleged role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and a classified documents case. He was appointed to preside over the two investigations in November 2022 by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland during the Biden administration. Republicans questioned Smith on his investigation processes, while Democrats largely praised the work done by the prosecutor.
“Our investigation revealed that Donald Trump is the person who caused Jan 6, that it was foreseeable to him, and that he sought to exploit the violence,” Smith said in response to questions from Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA).
“We followed the facts and we followed the law. Where that led us was to an indictment of an unprecedented criminal scheme to block the peaceful transition of power,” he added.
Johnson asked if the charges could be resurrected after Trump leaves office, however, Smith said “they were dismissed without prejudice” and said he cannot speak on whether the charges could be brought back.
Republicans took aim at the reported use of phone records of lawmakers, like Kevin McCarthy, in the investigation. For example, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said that his phone records were &#8220;indeed targeted&#8221; because of his communications with Rep. Scott Perry, which Smith said happened before he took over the investigation from his understanding. Roy asked if there were any limits to Smith&#8217;s investigation, saying it unfairly targeted conservatives and people who backed the president.
&#8220;To what end, would conversations between the Speaker of the U.S. House, second in line to be the president, and the president, on what basis would it be any of your business other than you believe there was a conspiracy without conspiracy as a basic premise?” Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) said to Smith.
&#8220;You, like the president’s men for Richard Nixon, went after your political enemies. Maybe they’re not your political enemies, but they sure as hell were Joe Biden&#8217;s political enemies, weren’t they? They were Harris&#8217; political enemies. They were the enemies of the president and you were their arm, weren’t you?” he added.
During Thursday&#8217;s hearing, while being questioned by Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT), Smith claimed he believes that the Justice Department will try to indict him in retaliation. Smith later said that the president wanted to &#8220;prey on party loyalty.&#8221;
&#8220;Our investigation involved interviewing and subpoenaing records of Republicans because that&#8217;s who Donald Trump sought to prey on to stay in office,&#8221; Smith said.
When The Daily Wire reached out to the White House for comment on the hearing, they referred to a Truth Social post from the president during the hearing.
“Deranged Jack Smith is being DECIMATED before Congress. It was over when they discussed his past failures and unfair prosecutions. He destroyed many lives under the guise of legitimacy. Jack Smith is a deranged animal, who shouldn’t be allowed to practice Law,” Trump wrote.
“If he were a Republican, his license would be taken away from him, and far worse! Hopefully the Attorney General is looking at what he’s done, including some of the crooked and corrupt witnesses that he was attempting to use in his case against me. The whole thing was a Democrat SCAM — A big price should be paid by them for what they have put our Country through!” he continued.
Other lines of questioning from Republicans also commented on perceived political bias in the investigations.
“You [were] unconstitutionally appointed. You breached the 60-day rule releasing this very partisan attack against the president right before the election. You tampered with evidence in the Mar-a-Lago case that you admitted to in court filings. You subpoenaed members of Congress and their phone records in violation of the Constitution, of current statute, you didn’t even let the court know these were members of Congress. How are we to assume otherwise this wasn’t political? Because it absolutely was,” Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC) said at one point.
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) fired back against the use of claims from Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon, calling her “completely lawless.”
In addition, Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) slammed the witness testimony of former White House staffer Cassidy Hutchinson, saying, &#8220;That&#8217;s the degree the Left and Democrats were willing to go to get President Trump. Putting on the witness stand somebody everybody knows is making it up.&#8221; Smith said Hutchinson&#8217;s claims were &#8220;secondhand&#8221; accounts.
Smith spoke with lawmakers last month in a closed-door deposition. At the end of the hearing, Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) suggested calling Smith back regarding &#8220;Volume Two&#8221; of his report, saying that the order from Judge Cannon may be lifted, allowing him to answer questions regarding that case.

US Special Counsel Jack Smith Statement

Special Counsel Jack Smith Faces Tough Questions In Fiery Congressional Hearing

justice department

President Donald Trump puts Greenland center stage at Davos, veteran sports reporter Michele Tafoya jumps into the Minnesota Senate race, and former special counsel Jack Smith testifies in Congress.
It’s Thursday, January 22, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump At Davos Strikes A Deal On Greenland</h2>
President Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-trump-addresses-world-economic-forum-in-davos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gave</a> a highly anticipated speech on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum, slamming European leaders and reiterating his desire to acquire Greenland, which he now says he has a framework agreement on. Before Trump’s arrival in Switzerland, European leaders had banded together, offering a unified front against the United States, and Trump came out swinging, essentially telling members they need the United States a lot more than America needs Europe. The World Economic Forum is typically a venue for heads of state to discuss global cooperation and to push for policies they say will offer equal benefit to every nation. But in a wide-ranging 90-minute speech and Q&amp;A session, the president reiterated what he has been saying for years on the campaign trail and from the Bully Pulpit: his number one priority is benefiting the American people, not the global order.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Michele Tafoya On The Mess In Minnesota</h2>
The investigations into officials in Minnesota have shaken the state – and shaken up its topline political races. Amid the turmoil, popular political commentator and former NFL reporter Michele Tafoya is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-nfl-reporter-michele-tafoya-announces-enters-minnesota-senate-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">jumping</a> into the race for the Senate as a Republican candidate. Tafoya said she was inspired to jump into politics in part because of a “crisis of leadership” in the state. The former sideline reporter is running to replace retiring Democratic Senator Tina Smith. Despite the open seat, Tafoya faces a challenging campaign ahead in a state that has not been represented in the U.S. Senate by a Republican in 20 years.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Mr. Jack Smith Goes To Washington (Again)</h2>
Former special counsel Jack Smith is set to testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. His investigation into President Trump and the questionable tactics he used is expected to be a central focus of lawmakers’ questions. Expect fireworks. Smith has already been deposed once by the committee. It was closed to the public, though Republicans released a transcript. In front of the cameras, Republicans will have plenty to question Smith about, including some topics that have only come to light after Smith’s deposition last month. Lawmakers will also have another shot to ask Smith about spying on the phone records of some Republicans in Congress.

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Morning Brief: Davos Gets Trumped, Sports Reporter Jumps In Senate Race, & Jack Smith Faces Congress

Morning Brief: Trump At Davos, Tafoya Jumps In, And Jack Smith To Testify

Michele Tafoya

Minnesota

Morning Wire

World Economic Forum

The Justice Department under former President Joe Biden reportedly subpoenaed two years of phone records belonging to House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan as part of the wide-ranging “Arctic Frost” investigation involving former President Donald Trump and his allies.
Records show that the Justice Department demanded that Verizon turn over details on Jordan’s phone calls from January 2020 until April 2022. The requested information included details on inbound and outbound calls, texts, and voicemail messages, but not the content of the calls or texts. 
“They spied on President Trump. They spied on Senators. Now, we just learned, they spied on me. If they can do it to us, they can do it to you,” Jordan <a href="https://x.com/Jim_Jordan/status/1991699042175500436/photo/1">posted</a> on social media on Thursday night alongside images of the subpoena. 
The subpoena was first <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-doj-subpoenaed-jim-jordans-phone-records-covering-more-than-two-years">reported</a> by Fox News. Other records <a href="https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/11/gjsubpoena2022042589990_redacted-1_redacted.pdf">obtained</a> by the outlet show that a federal judge ordered that the request remain secret. Verizon produced the documents for the Justice Department, a source told Fox. 
“The Court finds reasonable grounds to believe that such disclosure will result in flight from prosecution, destruction of or tampering with evidence, intimidation of potential witnesses, and serious jeopardy to the investigation,” Judge David Baker wrote.
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Baker added that Verizon’s “employees shall not disclose the existence of the Subpoena to any other person (except attorneys for PROVIDER for the purpose of receiving legal advice) for a period of one year.”
Verizon said in a statement that it was &#8220;working tirelessly&#8221; with lawmakers in Congress looking into the Arctic Frost investigation. 
&#8220;As part of our investigation, we uncovered new information regarding Chairman Jordan and shared it with him as soon as possible,&#8221; said Verizon spokesman Rich Young. &#8220;We are committed to restoring trust through transparency and will continue to work with Congress and the administration as they examine these issues and consider reforms to expand notification protections.&#8221;
The subpoena was sent before special counsel Jack Smith took over the Arctic Frost investigation, which ended with Trump being charged with trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The Biden administration also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-justice-department-took-unprecedented-action-against-trump-bondi-reveals">turned over</a> Trump’s government-issued phone to Smith as part of the investigation and subpoenaed his personal phone records. 
In addition to Trump and Jordan, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beyond-watergate-bidens-fbi-snooped-on-phone-records-from-gop-lawmakers-in-trump-investigation">revealed</a> last month that he had uncovered evidence that the FBI analyzed the metadata of phone calls from several Republicans in Congress, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn (TN), Cynthia Lummis (WY), Ron Johnson (WI), Tommy Tuberville (AL), Dan Sullivan (AK), Josh Hawley (MO) Bill Hagerty (TN), Lindsey Graham (SC), and Rep. Mike Kelly (PA).
The Senate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/shutdown-deal-packs-a-surprise-as-republicans-strike-back-after-phone-snooping?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Shutdown+Deal+Packs+A+Surprise+As+Republicans+Strike+Back+After+Phone+Snooping">recently</a> included a provision in a government-funding bill allowing senators to sue the federal government if their phone or office records were accessed without their knowledge. The House voted on Thursday to repeal that measure — but so far, the repeal has not advanced in the Senate.

House Gop 6/04/25

Jim Jordan: Biden’s Justice Dept ‘Spied On Me,’ Seized 28 Months Of Phone Records

Department of Justice

Jim Jordan

Joe Biden

Republican senators caught up in Jack Smith’s phone-record seizures may soon get their chance to strike back thanks to a provision quietly tucked into a bill the Senate passed Monday night.
The provision was included in a bill that funded the legislative branch and was part of the package passed by the Senate to end the government shutdown. It would allow senators to sue for damages if the government accessed their records without their knowledge. 
“Any senator whose Senate data, or the Senate data of whose Senate office, has been acquired, subpoenaed, searched, accessed, or disclosed in violation of this section may bring a civil action against the United States if the violation was committed by an officer, employee, or agent of the United States or of any federal department or agency,” the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/119/bills/hr5371/BILLS-119hr5371eas.pdf">bill </a>says. 
The provision applies when their Senate data was “acquired, subpoenaed, searched, accessed, or disclosed pursuant to a search, seizure, or demand for information without notice being provided.”
Senators could be entitled to up to $500,000 per violation, and they would have five years from the date of learning of the infraction to bring a suit. 
“No officer, employee, or agent of the United States or of any Federal department or agency shall be entitled to assert any form of absolute or qualified immunity as a defense to liability,” the provision adds. 
If a senator is under criminal investigation and there’s concern about evidence being destroyed or the senator fleeing, officials can delay notification, but only for 60 days.
The provision comes after Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beyond-watergate-bidens-fbi-snooped-on-phone-records-from-gop-lawmakers-in-trump-investigation">revealed</a> that he had uncovered evidence that the FBI analyzed the metadata of phone calls from several Republicans in Congress, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn (TN), Cynthia Lummis (WY), Ron Johnson (WI), Tommy Tuberville (AL), Dan Sullivan (AK), Josh Hawley (MO) Bill Hagerty (TN), Lindsey Graham (SC), and Rep. Mike Kelly (PA).
The FBI took those actions as part of Smith’s “Arctic Frost” investigation, which led to President Donald Trump being charged in Washington, D.C., over accusations that he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The Biden administration also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-justice-department-took-unprecedented-action-against-trump-bondi-reveals">turned over</a> Trump&#8217;s government-issued phone to Smith as part of the investigation and subpoenaed his personal phone records. 
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) told POLITICO that Senator Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) included the provision in the bill. 
“Leader Thune inserted that in the bill to provide real teeth to the prohibition on the Department of Justice targeting senators,” Cruz <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/10/john-thune-government-funding-phone-records-seizure-00646094">said</a>.
In a series of 60-40 votes on Monday night, the Senate passed a package of spending bills to end the government shutdown that now heads to the House. The package is expected to end the longest government shutdown in history and pass after enough Democrats crossed the aisle to give the GOP-led Senate the 60 votes needed for approval.

Shutdown Deal Packs A Surprise As Republicans Strike Back After Phone Snooping

2020 Election

Government Shutdown

John Thune

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday that the Biden administration turned over President Donald Trump’s government phone to Jack Smith as he snooped through the president’s phone records as part of his wide-reaching investigation into the 2020 presidential election.
Bondi made the announcement on X, confirming previous revelations from Senate Republicans that the FBI seized Trump&#8217;s government-issued phone as part of Smith’s Arctic Frost investigation. That investigation, supposedly into Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, targeted hundreds of Republicans in Congress and Trump allies outside of Capitol Hill.
“During the Arctic Frost Investigation, we found that Special Counsel seized President Trump’s government-issued phone. This means the Biden Administration turned over President Trump’s phone to Special Counsel—an UNPRECEDENTED action,” Bondi <a href="https://x.com/AGPamBondi/status/1985754381216624949">said</a>. “In addition, Special Counsel subpoenaed all of President Trump’s PERSONAL phone records.”
“We can never again allow this kind of government weaponization in America,” Bondi added. “I submitted these new documents to our partners on Capitol Hill. I commend our team at the FBI for working diligently to expose this.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt commented more on the revelation during Tuesday’s press briefing.
&#8220;I think this is just further evidence of the egregious overreach and weaponization of government that took place under the previous White House against then former president and now President Donald J. Trump. It was a clear effort by the Biden White House and the Biden DOJ to go after the president and this is just further evidence of that.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> on the Biden White House turning over President Trump’s phone records to Jack Smith as part of Arctic Frost:
&#8220;I think this is just further evidence of the egregious overreach and weaponization of government that took place under the previous White House against… <a href="https://t.co/OEZmOCXtJj">https://t.co/OEZmOCXtJj</a> <a href="https://t.co/ozajWcNjEn">pic.twitter.com/ozajWcNjEn</a>
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1985783717340590170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
According to a March 2025 <a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/grassley_johnson_to_doj_fbi_-_arctic_frost_updates.pdf">letter</a> from Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), the FBI first began the process of seizing Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence’s phones in April 2022 before they gained access to them and entered them as evidence in May 2022.
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), one of the GOP senators who was targeted in the probe, said the news should enrage every American.
“This information should outrage every American,” she <a href="https://x.com/MarshaBlackburn/status/1985804405871153172">said</a>. “This is one of the worst examples of government weaponization in American history.”
Blackburn, alongside Sens. Cynthia Lummis (WY), Ron Johnson (WI), Tommy Tuberville (AL), Dan Sullivan (AK), Josh Hawley (MO), Bill Hagerty (TN), Lindsey Graham (SC), and Rep. Mike Kelly (PA), all had their phone metadata analyzed by the FBI as part of Arctic Frost.

Former President Donald Trump Indicted In January 6 Investigation

Biden’s Justice Department Took ‘Unprecedented Action’ Against Trump, Bondi Reveals

General

Pam Bondi

U.S.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said former special counsel Jack Smith should face potential prosecution after the FBI obtained the phone records of several Republican Congress members, saying it is out of the ordinary for the federal law enforcement agency to “spy on U.S. senators.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, revealed on Monday that the FBI had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beyond-watergate-bidens-fbi-snooped-on-phone-records-from-gop-lawmakers-in-trump-investigation?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98Beyond+Watergate%E2%80%99%3A+Biden%E2%80%99s+FBI+Snooped+On+Phone+Records+From+GOP+Lawmakers+In+Trump+Investigation">pulled</a> cell phone “tolling data” for eight GOP senators and one House member. The lawmakers were targeted as part of “Arctic Frost,” an FBI investigation into the 2020 election.
“There will be some indictments, and there will be some prosecutions, and holding people … accountable to the full extent of the law, that is going to be a priority,” said Blackburn in an interview with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qLKds6jgGY">Morning Wire</a>.
“We&#8217;re already doing a letter of complaint to the D.C. bar about Jack Smith because this was his shop. He should be disbarred at the very least, and should face the full extent of accountability under the law,” she added.
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Former FBI Washington Field Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault launched the Arctic Frost probe in April 2022. Thibault, with a history of online anti-Trump statements, <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/09/04/fbi-agent-timothy-thibault-hid-intel-from-whistleblower-on-hunter-the-big-guy-joe-biden/">resigned</a> from the bureau in August 2022 under accusations of hiding evidence of Biden family malfeasance. The Arctic Frost investigation was turned over to Smith’s special counsel’s office in November 2022.
The steps that the FBI took are “absolutely” unusual and possibly unprecedented, according to Blackburn.
“For them to actually subpoena our phone records and for the wireless companies to give them that information, that is something that is highly unusual. It is illegal,” the senator said. “It is a violation of our civil rights. It’s a violation of our privacy rights. No one can find a time when … the FBI has done this.”
The records obtained by the FBI included the date and time of phone calls made by each lawmaker, the duration of the calls, the identity of the other party on the phone call, and tracking data indicating the location from which each call was made.
Other than Blackburn, the targeted lawmakers named in an FBI document released on Monday are Sens. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.

Marsha Blackburn

Blackburn Calls Out Jack Smith, Says Biden’s FBI Was Told To ‘Spy’ On Republicans

Blackburn Calls Out Jack Smith, Says Biden's FBI Was Told To ‘Spy’ On Republicans

The FBI has been caught rifling through the phone records of nearly a dozen Republican members of Congress — all swept up in special counsel Jack Smith’s relentless pursuit of President Donald Trump.
Records released by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on Monday show that the FBI analyzed the metadata of phone calls from Sens. Marsha Blackburn (TN), Cynthia Lummis (WY), Ron Johnson (WI), Tommy Tuberville (AL), Dan Sullivan (AK), Josh Hawley (MO) Bill Hagerty (TN), Lindsey Graham (SC), and Rep. Mike Kelly (PA.). The records were part of Smith’s “Arctic Frost” investigation, which led to Trump being charged in Washington, D.C., over accusations that he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election. 
“This document shows the Biden FBI spied on 8 of my Republican Senate colleagues during its Arctic Frost investigation into ‘election conspiracy.’ Arctic Frost later became Jack Smith&#8217;s elector case against Trump,” Grassley posed on X. “BIDEN FBI WEAPONIZATION = WORSE THAN WATERGATE.”
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This document shows the Biden FBI spied on 8 of my Republican Senate colleagues during its Arctic Frost investigation into &#8220;election conspiracy&#8221; Arctic Frost later became Jack Smith&#8217;s elector case against Trump
BIDEN FBI WEAPONIZATION = WORSE THAN WATERGATE <a href="https://t.co/V2JyiVlX48">pic.twitter.com/V2JyiVlX48</a>
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChuckGrassley/status/1975297712712262100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The document Grassley shared showed that the FBI obtained the toll data of the GOP lawmakers&#8217; calls, meaning they gathered basic information, such as the date and time of certain phone calls. The agency did not monitor the content of the communications, the senators said. 
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FBI Director Kash Patel stated on Tuesday that agents had been fired as a result of the revelations and noted that the CR-15 squad, a public corruption unit within the FBI that assisted Smith’s investigation, had been disbanded. 
“Transparency is important and accountability is critical. We promised both, and this is what promises kept looks like. This FBI is delivering,” Patel <a href="https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1975506285656207664">said</a>. “As a result of our latest disclosure about the baseless monitoring of members of Congress by the prior leadership team of the FBI, we have already taken the following actions: We terminated employees, we abolished the weaponized CR-15 squad, and we initiated an ongoing investigation with more accountability measures ahead.”
President Donald Trump slammed Smith in a Tuesday morning post on Truth Social.
&#8220;Deranged Jack Smith got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. A real sleazebag!!!&#8221; he <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115332808536869094">wrote</a>.
Sen. Johnson <a href="https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1975506285656207664">said</a> the revelation did not &#8220;surprise&#8221; him, but added that it should “shock every American.” He said he was briefed by FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino on the FBI’s actions. 
“We were surveilled simply for being Republicans,” he said. “What the Biden Administration has done is an outrageous abuse of power — it is blatant political persecution. Those responsible must be held fully accountable.”
Sen. Hawley <a href="https://x.com/HawleyMO/status/1975305232071487986">called</a> for a full investigation into the FBI&#8217;s handling of the tracking.
“This is an abuse of power beyond Watergate, beyond J. Edgar Hoover, one that directly strikes at the Constitution, the separation of powers, and the First Amendment,” he said. “We need a full investigation of all involved: who knew about it, who ordered it, and who approved it.”

Special Prosecutor Jack Smith addresses reporters after his grand jury has issued more indictments of former President Donald Trump on August 01 in Washington, DC.

‘Beyond Watergate’: Biden’s FBI Snooped On Phone Records From GOP Lawmakers In Trump Investigation

Chuck Grassley

kash patel

President Donald Trump signed a new order on Tuesday suspending security clearances for some of the people who worked with Special Counsel Jack Smith in the legal cases against him prior to the 2024 presidential election.
Trump referred to the order as &#8220;the deranged Jack Smith signing — or bill&#8221; as he prepared to sign. &#8220;Nobody knows about it more than me,&#8221; he said of the efforts made in the courts to &#8220;clog up government&#8221; and weaponize it against certain people or agendas.
WATCH:
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BREAKING: President Trump signs an order suspending security clearances for Covington &amp; Burling LLP employees who worked with deranged Jack Smith to weaponize government. <a href="https://t.co/fKhCbkNP1j">pic.twitter.com/fKhCbkNP1j</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1894500240863969327?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The order suspends clearances for employees of the law firm Covington &amp; Burling LLP, some of whom did pro bono work for Smith&#8217;s team, and will subject them to further review. Trump also noted that other law firms might find themselves in similar situations in the future.
&#8220;The weaponization of our system by the law firms, even pro bono work they&#8217;re doing just in order to clog up government, stop government, and — nobody knows about it more than me,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;And hopefully that&#8217;ll never happen again.&#8221;
One reporter attempted to interrupt, asking a question about troops, but he cut her off before she could finish: &#8220;Wait, I just want to savor this one, please.&#8221;
&#8220;Who would like this pen?&#8221; Trump asked, waving the writing implement as several people in the room laughed. After a brief pause, he tossed the pen to someone off-camera, saying, &#8220;Here, why don&#8217;t you send it to Jack Smith.&#8221;
Trump did eventually take questions, but he appeared to be in no mood for questions sympathetic to Smith&#8217;s team.
WATCH:
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> slams a Fake News reporter: &quot;I&#39;ve been targeted for four years&#8230; I was the target of corrupt politicians for four years. Don&#39;t talk to me about targeting.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/tdp5Vj0uhb">pic.twitter.com/tdp5Vj0uhb</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1894500643131269263?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
One reporter asked whether Trump was concerned about the optics of &#8220;targeting an individual firm or targeting individuals who aren&#8217;t Jack Smith,&#8221; and the president stopped him cold.
&#8220;Excuse me,&#8221; Trump interrupted. &#8220;I&#8217;ve been targeted for four years, longer than that. So you don&#8217;t tell me about targeting. I was the target of corrupt politicians for four years, and then four years after that. So don&#8217;t talk to me about targeting.&#8221;

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Trump Yanks Clearances From Jack Smith’s Team, Scolds Reporter Worried About Who He’s ‘Targeting’

Trump Yanks Clearances From Jack Smith's Team, Scolds Reporter Worried About Who He's 'Targeting'

Executive Orders

Special counsel

U.S. Special Counsel and Trump prosecutor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jack-smith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jack Smith</a> resigned from the Department of Justice on Friday, according to Politico.
Smith&#8217;s <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/11/jack-smith-resigns-justice-department-trump-criminal-investigation-00197694" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resignation</a> comes as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House at the end of January, leading Smith to drop both of the criminal cases after they hit significant roadblocks from Trump-appointed judges. Most significant was the Supreme Court ruling in Trump&#8217;s favor against Smith, granting former presidents significant immunity from prosecution for official acts, according to Politico.
Despite <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-prosecutor-jack-smith-resigns-justice-department-politico-reports-2025-01-11/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropping</a> the cases, Smith defended the charges on their merits, only saying that Trump&#8217;s re-election made them &#8220;untenable&#8221; due to DOJ policy against prosecuting sitting presidents, per Reuters.
Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022 to lead the DOJ&#8217;s investigations into Trump allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 election and mishandling classified documents.
Trump denied all wrongdoing, calling the prosecutions politically motivated retribution from the Biden administration, and raised millions in campaign contributions off the back of the cases against him. Many of Trump&#8217;s supporters saw the prosecutions from Smith and others as clear attempts from the political establishment to silence Trump with the law, a powerful narrative Trump exploited until election day.
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Smith was on a short timetable, with many experts concurring that if Trump won the election before Smith&#8217;s cases could come to a conclusion, the prosecutions would be shut down, with Smith&#8217;s first public appearance since his appointment in November 2022 occurring in August of 2023.
&#8220;The attack on our nation&#8217;s Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy. As described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies &#8211; lies by the defendant, targeted at obstructing the bedrock function of the U.S. government,&#8221; Smith accused in a press conference in August of 2023, with Trump being indicted shortly after.
This left a little over a year for Smith to overcome the delays Trump&#8217;s legal team was putting on the cases, with both cases locked in legal gridlock, with Trump-appointed Justice Aileen Cannon flat-out dismissing the classified documents case, and going as far as temporarily blocking the public release of Smith&#8217;s January 6 report for weeks.
Smith&#8217;s resignation marks the end of Trump&#8217;s prosecutorial woes federally, with no former president ever being prosecuted prior to Smith&#8217;s appointment.

Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith Resigns From DOJ

January 6

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