"President Donald Trump lashed out at former special counsel Jack Smith after top Senate Republicans reported that the Biden-era Justice Department secretly obtained their phone records as part of the January 6 investigation. The revelations were made at a Capitol Hill press conference on Monday, where Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said the FBI used court orders in 2023 to collect phone records belonging to nine GOP lawmakers."
"The senators denounced the move as political weaponization of federal law enforcement. The records, obtained through a grand jury subpoena, covered the call logs, numbers, times, and durations of lawmakers, but not the contents of their conversations."
"Trump seized on the allegations and torched Smith in a Truth Social broadside early Tuesday: Deranged Jack Smith got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. A real sleazebag!!! (Screengrab via Truth Social) The FBI's move was lawful under federal procedure, yet it has reignited partisan tensions over Smith's dual probes into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents. Current FBI director Kash Patel protested the move as an abuse of power that he said ends now."
Federal prosecutors obtained phone records for nine Republican lawmakers during a January 6 investigation using court orders and a grand jury subpoena in 2023. The records included call logs, numbers, times, and durations but did not include call contents. Senate Republicans characterized the collection as political weaponization of federal law enforcement and publicly condemned the action. Former President Donald Trump attacked former special counsel Jack Smith on social media. The FBI maintained the collection was lawful under federal procedure. Current FBI director Kash Patel called the move an abuse of power and demanded it stop. The disclosures intensified partisan disputes over Smith's two probes.
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