FBI records show Jack Smith tracked GOP senators
FBI records show that during Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 probe agents analyzed phone metadata — call logs and timestamps, not call content — for nine Republican senators (Lindsey Graham, Bill Hagerty, Josh Hawley, Dan Sullivan, Tommy Tuberville, Ron Johnson, Cynthia Lummis, Marsha Blackburn) and Rep. Mike Kelly, according to a Sept. 27, 2023 preliminary toll analysis disclosed after Sen. Chuck Grassley’s request and said to have been authorized by a grand jury. The disclosure drew sharp GOP criticism, with Sen. Josh Hawley denouncing the monitoring and calling for a special counsel to investigate who ordered or approved the tracking.
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📌 Key Facts
- A Sept. 27, 2023 FBI document described as a 'preliminary toll analysis' lists nine lawmakers: Sens. Lindsey Graham, Bill Hagerty, Josh Hawley, Dan Sullivan, Tommy Tuberville, Ron Johnson, Cynthia Lummis, Marsha Blackburn, and Rep. Mike Kelly.
- Senators say the document was produced in response to Sen. Chuck Grassley’s request and was publicly disclosed by the lawmakers.
- Senators reported the analysis was authorized by a grand jury and was produced as part of the special counsel probe into Jan. 6‑related efforts to overturn the 2020 election (the now‑shuttered Jack Smith investigation).
- The FBI analysis examined call metadata (call logs and timestamps—date/time) but did not review the content of calls.
- Sen. Josh Hawley issued a forceful public condemnation, calling the tracking 'Biden’s Stasi' and an 'abuse of power beyond Watergate,' and demanded a 'full investigation' and prosecution of anyone who violated the law.
- Hawley also publicly called for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate who ordered or approved the surveillance.
📰 Sources (3)
Hawley rips Jack Smith’s ‘Biden’s Stasi’ probe, calls alleged spying ‘abuse of power beyond Watergate’
New information:
- Sen. Josh Hawley’s extended, on‑the‑record condemnation using the phrase 'Biden’s Stasi' and calling for a 'full investigation' and prosecution of anyone who violated the law.
- Explicit statement in this piece clarifying the tracking involved call logs and timestamps (metadata) rather than the content of calls, repeated as part of Hawley’s reaction.
- Public call by Hawley for appointment of a special counsel devoted to investigating the matter and questions about who ordered/approved the surveillance.
FBI analyzed some Republican lawmakers' phone records as part of Trump Jan. 6 probe
New information:
- CBS names nine lawmakers listed in the Sept. 27, 2023 'preliminary toll analysis': Sens. Lindsey Graham, Bill Hagerty, Josh Hawley, Dan Sullivan, Tommy Tuberville, Ron Johnson, Cynthia Lummis, Marsha Blackburn, and Rep. Mike Kelly.
- The FBI analysis examined call metadata (date/time) but not call content.
- The document is dated Sept. 27, 2023 and the senators say it was found in response to Sen. Chuck Grassley’s request.
- Senators disclosed the analysis and said it was authorized by a grand jury; the probe in question was the now‑shuttered special counsel/Jackson Smith investigation into Jan. 6‑related efforts to overturn 2020 results.