Jack Smith Team Reviewed 44 Lawmakers’ Texts, Bypassing Filter Process

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 14

Senate Republicans said records from the Trump Justice Department show Jack Smith’s team not only obtained but reviewed text messages from 44 members of Congress without the required filter-team screening.
That review process was supposed to separate potentially privileged or irrelevant material from millions of documents, and lawmakers say skipping it may have violated the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause and attorney-client protections.
Elise Stefanik, Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson were among those swept up, alongside Democrats including Cory Booker, Josh Gottheimer, Adam Smith and Karen Bass, underscoring the bipartisan reach of the records haul.
The disclosure also raises questions about Smith’s prior sworn testimony after he answered "no" when asked in a congressional deposition whether records sought from lawmakers included text messages.
Grassley and Johnson cast the episode as part of a broader probe into Smith’s Trump investigation, with Grassley saying he wants Smith recalled to Congress and other Republicans demanding prosecutions.