‘Corrupt operation’ vs ‘serious crimes’: Grassley and Jack Smith clash over Trump probe

WASHINGTON, DC: Former special counsel Jack Smith and Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley faced off Tuesday, September 29, over the federal investigations into Donald Trump, with Smith defending the prosecutions and Grassley questioning whether investigators went far beyond Trump.

The clash came at a hearing formally titled “Oversight of Jack Smith’s Abuse of Authority and the Targeting of Republicans and Related Matters.”

Jack Smith stands by Trump prosecution decisions

Smith told senators that his decisions were driven by evidence and law rather than Trump’s political affiliation.

He said his investigation developed “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump had committed serious crimes and said he would bring the same case against a former president regardless of whether that person were a Republican or Democrat.

When Grassley asked whether Smith’s office obtained donor data and other financial information, Smith acknowledged that investigators had acquired financial records.

He said he could not recall every subpoena but defended the requests as part of a criminal investigation into what he described as “one of the most serious crimes that’s ever happened in our nation’s history,” referring to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Smith led two federal investigations after Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed him special counsel in 2022: one concerning Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and another involving classified documents retained at Mar-a-Lago. 

Both investigations resulted in federal indictments, but the cases ended for different reasons. The classified-documents case was dismissed by a federal judge in 2024 over Smith's appointment, while the election case was dismissed after Trump won the 2024 election, in line with Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

Smith also told lawmakers he would not be silenced by threats of prosecution and maintained that his team followed Justice Department procedures.

Grassley targets Arctic Frost subpoenas

Grassley’s case against Smith centers heavily on Arctic Frost, the FBI investigation that preceded Smith’s election-related probe.

Grassley has released 197 subpoenas that he says show Smith’s team sought records from more than 400 Republican individuals and organizations.

His office says those requests included financial information, communications and congressional records.

Grassley has also highlighted phone records involving Republican senators and text messages from members of Congress.

AP reported that Smith’s investigators obtained toll records showing call details, while a separate subpoena to the National Archives obtained text-message content involving lawmakers.

Smith has defended the toll-record subpoenas as necessary to determine the scope of the alleged effort to overturn the 2020 election.

Grassley has characterized the broader operation as an effort that reached into the Republican political apparatus. 

Smith disputes the characterization and says investigators were pursuing evidence relevant to the election investigation.

Senate fight puts federal power spotlight

The confrontation comes as congressional scrutiny of Smith continues.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan referred Smith to the Justice Department in July over allegations that his earlier congressional testimony about the subpoenas was misleading.

Smith’s lawyers rejected that accusation, arguing that his answers accurately addressed toll-record subpoenas rather than separate requests involving message content.

The Senate inquiry is now examining that boundary alongside the underlying Trump cases.