Earlier this month, suspicions were confirmed that during the special counsel investigation into Donald Trump’s Jan. 6-related activities, special counsel Jack Smith ordered surveillance of numerous GOP senators' phone records.
Republicans and the Trump administration have been in overdrive of late, hoping to go after Smith for that and other conduct.
Now, Smith is requesting the opportunity to publicly address the allegations before Congress, but he has one stipulation.
In early October, an FBI document was released revealing that the agency had targeted eight Republican senators in conjunction with Smith’s investigation.
The Senate Judiciary Committee stated, “The FBI in 2023 sought and obtained data about the senators’ phone use from January 4 through January 7, 2021. That data shows when and to whom a call is made, as well as the duration and general location data of the call. The data does not include the content of the call.”
Among the senators whose phone records were obtained were Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Ron Johnson (R-WI).
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) stated, “Based on the evidence to date, Arctic Frost and related weaponization by federal law enforcement under Biden was arguably worse than Watergate. What I’ve uncovered today is disturbing and outrageous political conduct by the Biden FBI. The FBI’s actions were an unconstitutional breach, and Attorney General Bondi and Director Patel need to hold accountable those involved in this serious wrongdoing.”
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) went after Smith hard after this report broke, noticing that the common thread among all the lawmakers involved was their support for Trump.
She stated, "This is about making certain we have one tier of justice, and that we stop this two tiers of justice.”
Blackburn continued, "And if they can do this to eight sitting U.S. senators, what could they possibly -- I mean, think about how, what they must be doing to conservatives in this country."
The legislator further noted that she could not believe the senators had not been notified by their carriers that their records had been requested and obtained, but I would imagine that was blocked by Smith.
Smith is now requesting a public hearing to give his side of the story, but he also wants to make sure that nothing he says is used against him.
His attorneys announced, "Given the many mischaracterizations of Mr. Smith’s investigation into President Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents and role in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Mr. Smith respectfully requests the opportunity to testify in open hearings before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.”
The statement then added, "He is prepared to answer questions about the Special Counsel’s investigation and prosecution, but requires assurance from the Department of Justice that he will not be punished for doing so. To that end, Mr. Smith needs guidance from the Department of Justice regarding federal grand jury secrecy requirements and authorization on the matters he may speak to regarding, among other things, Volume II of the Final Report of the Special Counsel, which is not publicly available."
This is a tough one for me because we have to question whether Smith was on a personal and political mission or was just following orders. There is part of me that wants to make this deal if it puts scrutiny of former Attorney General Merrick Garland on the table, but at the same time, if Smith abused his office’s powers, he needs to be held accountable. What do you guys think? Give Smith immunity for his testimony or roll the dice and take our chances in court?
