DOJ Let Jack Smith Team Access 44 Lawmakers' Texts Without Screening, Sparking Bipartisan Concern
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 16
DOJ Let Jack Smith Team Access 44 Lawmakers' Texts Without Screening, Sparking Bipartisan Concern
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 16
Summary
Newly released Senate Judiciary Committee documents say Justice Department investigators on Jack Smith’s team accessed text messages involving 44 members of Congress before required screening, expanding scrutiny beyond the earlier disclosure that the records were collected.
A DOJ letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley said contractors running the filter team’s review software failed to set permission guardrails, allowing Smith’s investigators to examine unscreened communications despite protocol meant to block that access.
Richard Blumenthal called Republican concerns justified and said the possible breach of norms should be examined, while Cory Booker and several other Democrats whose messages were seized declined to weigh in.
Republicans used the documents to intensify attacks on Smith, with some alleging he misled Congress when he denied requesting lawmakers’ texts during the Trump-related Jan. 6 and Mar-a-Lago investigations.
The disclosures sharpen questions about DOJ safeguards in politically sensitive probes and how far prosecutors can go when congressional communications are swept into criminal investigations.