Biden special counsel’s 'runaway train’ scooped up sensitive lawmaker info: 'Abuse of power'
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into President Donald Trump swept up text messages from nearly 50 members of Congress, bypassing a required review process in what one victim alleged is a direct Constitutional violation.Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said the situation is more proof Smith’s probe was a "runaway train" of abuses of power, as the elder statesman and Senate Investigations Subcommittee chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., jointly released their filings Tuesday evening.Grassley and Johnson’s findings come amid a full-scale probe of Operation Arctic Frost – the codename for Smith’s endeavor to investigate Trump for alleged corruption and election malfeasance – an operation top Senate Republicans call "worse than Watergate."LEGAL WAR ON TRUMP’S AGENDA GAINS FIREPOWER AS FEDERAL LAWYERS DEFECT TO DEMOCRATSForty-four members of Congress had the contents of their text messages obtained and reviewed by Smith's team in a way that bypassed protocol. A "filter team" was tasked with reviewing millions of documents in the case and should have had first crack at determining whether such messages were relevant or potentially violated statute or ethics.Rep.
Reported by 1 outlet — Fox News Latest. See all sources ↓
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into President Donald Trump swept up text messages from nearly 50 members of Congress, bypassing a required review process in what one victim alleged is a direct Constitutional violation.Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said the situation is more proof Smith’s probe was a "runaway train" of abuses of power, as the elder statesman and Senate Investigations Subcommittee chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., jointly released their filings Tuesday evening.Grassley and Johnson’s findings come amid a full-scale probe of Operation Arctic Frost – the codename for Smith’s endeavor to investigate Trump for alleged corruption and election malfeasance – an operation top Senate Republicans call "worse than Watergate."LEGAL WAR ON TRUMP’S AGENDA GAINS FIREPOWER AS FEDERAL LAWYERS DEFECT TO DEMOCRATSForty-four members of Congress had the contents of their text messages obtained and reviewed by Smith's team in a way that bypassed protocol. A "filter team" was tasked with reviewing millions of documents in the case and should have had first crack at determining whether such messages were relevant or potentially violated statute or ethics.Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., one of the lawmakers whose texts were swept up in this way, said Tuesday such texts being reviewed amounted to clear violations of the Constitution’s Speech & Debate Clause – which protects lawmakers from being questioned in "any other place" than the Capitol for legislative acts.Internal communications have been historically included in that clause in the courts, as technology has advanced.SUPREME COURT JUSTICES HEAD TO CAPITOL HILL FOR FIRST CONGRESSIONAL APPEARANCE SINCE 2019Stefanik said in a statement that the new records prove Smith’s team "unlawfully and unconstitutionally accessed my private text messages, along with 43 other Members of Congress, in clear violation of the Constitution."She said she long-suspected there had been "unconstitutional spy[ing] on members of Congress."The records were provided by the Trump Justice Department to Grassley and Johnson, which the chairmen said indicated Smith’s team had "circumvented its own filter review process." The process is additionally meant to protect attorney-client privilege, they said in a statement.OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE TORCHES TRUMP ADMIN IN LATEST COURTROOM SHOWDOWN, REFERS ATTORNEY FOR BAR REVIEWThe news also complicated some of Smith’s prior depositions under oath, including an excerpt in which he answered "no" to a question from a congressional counsel as to whether records he requested from congresspeople included text messages.Johnson called the situation a "grotesque example" of Biden-era "weaponization" of the executive branch."Jack Smith’s criminal investigation of President Trump was a runaway train that had no brakes," Grassley added Tuesday."Based on the information that’s been produced to me and Senator Johnson, Biden DOJ and FBI investigators apparently ignored their own routine investigative protocols to obtain and review work-related messages from me and dozens of my Republican and Democrat colleagues who were outside the scope of the government’s investigation."Grassley added that he hopes Democrats caught up in the otherwise bipartisan text tranche will finally discard their partisanship and recognize the severity of the alleged violations by Smith.He also indicated he planned to recall Smith before Congress to "hold him accountable."Of the 44 members swept up in the text reviews, several were Democrats, including now-Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, as well as Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., Sen.
Read the full report at Fox News Latest ↗
Why it matters
A world story we're tracking; its significance and source trust firm up as more outlets confirm it.
- What's the story?
- Former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into President Donald Trump swept up text messages from nearly 50 members of Congress, bypassing a required review process in what one victim alleged is a direct Constitutional violation.Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said the situation is more proof Smith’s probe was a "runaway train" of abuses of power, as the elder statesman and Senate Investigations Subcommittee chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., jointly released their filings Tuesday evening.Grassley and Johnson’s findings come amid a full-scale probe of Operation Arctic Frost – the codename for Smith’s endeavor to investigate Trump for alleged corruption and election malfeasance – an operation top Senate Republicans call "worse than Watergate."LEGAL WAR ON TRUMP’S AGENDA GAINS FIREPOWER AS FEDERAL LAWYERS DEFECT TO DEMOCRATSForty-four members of Congress had the contents of their text messages obtained and reviewed by Smith's team in a way that bypassed protocol. A "filter team" was tasked with reviewing millions of documents in the case and should have had first crack at determining whether such messages were relevant or potentially violated statute or ethics.Rep.
- How widely is it covered?
- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
- When was it last updated?
- 13m ago.
How outlets are framing the same story
Here's how each outlet is covering the story — compare their headlines and timing at a glance.
- Coverage card1 outlet1CoverageScouting report
Biden special counsel’s 'runaway train’ scooped up sensitive lawmaker info: 'Abuse of power'
Sources1TypeCoverageFox News Latest