Jack Smith reviewed texts from 44 lawmakers, DOJ records show
Former special counsel Jack Smith's investigative team reviewed text messages involving 44 current and former members of Congress, according to Justice Department records Republican senators released on July 14, 2026. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson say Smith's team bypassed a required DOJ filter process meant to shield privileged material during criminal probes of President Donald Trump.
Key Takeaways
- DOJ records show Jack Smith's team reviewed lawmaker texts tied to communications with White House personnel during Trump-era criminal probes.
- Assistant Attorney General Patrick Davis wrote that investigators "apparently bypassed" a filter team and "directly accessed these text messages."
- Grassley said he was among the 44 lawmakers affected; he and Johnson published a bipartisan list of current and former members.
- The disclosures follow whistleblower tips and reopen debate over DOJ protocols in politically charged investigations.
What Did Jack Smith's Team Obtain From Congress?
Politico reported that Smith obtained text messages from 44 members of Congress. According to The Hill, those communications with White House personnel were reviewed during probes under former President Biden into Trump's alleged role in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack and classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago.
Smith oversaw both cases before dropping them after Trump's 2024 election win. Newly released DOJ records are now fueling a fresh political fight on Capitol Hill over how investigators handled lawmakers' digital messages.
Why Are Republican Senators Raising Alarms?
In a joint release Tuesday, Grassley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Johnson, who leads the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, said they obtained the records after whistleblower tips.
Assistant Attorney General Patrick Davis told Grassley in a letter that Smith's investigative team "apparently bypassed" a document filtering team and "directly accessed these text messages." Grassley called Smith's investigation "a runaway train that had no brakes" and said investigators "apparently ignored their own routine investigative protocols" to review work-related messages from Republican and Democrat colleagues outside the scope of the probe.
Johnson described the episode as "another grotesque example" of Biden-era DOJ weaponization and said Smith's team "acted with impunity" by disregarding its own protocols. Reuters reported that Republican senators are driving the public account of what the records show.
Which Lawmakers Were Affected?
Grassley confirmed he was one of the 44 lawmakers whose communications with White House personnel were reviewed. He and Johnson published a list of affected current and former Republican and Democratic members of Congress.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), whose communications were allegedly reviewed, called the news "outrageous" but not "remotely surprising" in a statement shared on social media. He said the sweep of dozens of lawmakers was "just the latest addition to a long train of abuses" from Democrats' weaponization of government.
What Happens Next?
The disclosure sets up further congressional scrutiny of how digital records are collected and screened in high-stakes federal probes. For ongoing legal and regulatory developments that can move markets and policy, follow our Fintech & Crypto Alerts coverage.
Johnson said "no one should be shocked by Jack Smith's recklessness and blatant abuse of power, but they should be outraged." With Republican senators now publicizing the DOJ records, the dispute over Smith's investigative methods is likely to intensify on Capitol Hill.