We all knew that former special counsel Jack Smith was digging deep into the actions of Republican lawmakers during the Jan. 6 probe targeting Donald Trump, but I don’t think anyone realized how far he had gone.
Reports broke this week from FBI Director Kash Patel indicating that Smith had pulled the phone records of about a dozen GOP senators.
Needless to say, this is not going over very well, as it is one more major strike against former President Joe Biden and his weaponization of the DOJ not only against Trump, but against the broader Republican Party.
In November 2022, Biden’s DOJ appointed Smith as special counsel to investigate the unrest that took place at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Smith’s investigation resulted in a federal indictment of Donald Trump.
However, Smith dismissed the cases against Trump after he won the 2024 election, solely due to the fact that the DOJ has a standing policy that it will not prosecute a sitting president.
Smith submitted his final report on the case in January of this year, just prior to resigning his post.
Patel ushered in a firestorm when he broke the news that the phone records of numerous Republicans in office were seized as part of Smith’s investigation.
The FBI director posted, “We recently uncovered proof that phone records of U.S. lawmakers were seized for political purposes. That abuse of power ends now.”
Patel's post continued, “Under my leadership, the FBI will deliver truth and accountability, and never again be weaponized against the American people.”
Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino added, “It is a disgrace that I have to stand on Capitol Hill and reveal this — that the FBI was once weaponized to track the private communications of U.S. lawmakers for political purposes. That era is over.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) went nuclear over the report, blasting the Biden administration for "spying on the president’s political opponents," calling it "a profound violation of the separation of powers."
Hawley stated, "The truth comes out. Biden’s Stasi who claimed to be saving ‘our sacred democracy’ in fact worked overtime to destroy it -- all for power. They spied on Catholic churches, prosecuted pro-lifers, deployed the FBI against parents at school board meetings -- and tried to tap the phones of their political enemies. Including mine.”
He continued, "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. We need a full investigation of all involved: who knew about it, who ordered it, and who approved it. Anyone and everyone who violated the law must be prosecuted. The way to save the country is to restore the rule of law."
Hawley went on to call this “bigger than Watergate,” and you had better believe that the GOP will use this to move the news cycle back in its favor. While the GOP was initially winning the battle of perception with regard to the shutdown, sentiment has started to flow toward Democrats, so the timing of this story is absolutely perfect. Now the question is, what will Republicans do about it?
