Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats demanded that Chairman Chuck Grassley apologize to Jack Smith.
Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats are demanding Chairman Chuck Grassley apologize to Jack Smith. The political clash marks an escalation of the typical bickering between the two parties on Capitol Hill.
Sen. Eric Schmitt Accused Jack Smith of Secret Atlanta NBA Trip
Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt made the unfounded claim that Smith traveled covertly to an Atlanta basketball game to plot with local prosecutors regarding criminal charges against President Donald Trump. That narrative quickly unraveled.
Democratic leaders are now pressing Chairman Grassley to turn over the underlying records that Schmitt used during the hearing to levy the false allegations against the Biden-era special counsel, who investigated whether Trump sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election and mishandled classified documents.
Dick Durbin Demands Official Apology from Chuck Grassley
Ranking member Dick Durbin of Illinois spearheaded a formal letter to committee leadership. Obtained exclusively by POLITICO, the correspondence demands an apology on behalf of GOP committee members for the handling of the hearing.
According to the Democratic caucus, the incident disrupted proceedings, delayed committee work, ran the risk of letting unverified claims enter the official record unchallenged, and brought a humiliating blemish to one of Congress’s premier panels.
Grassley Questions Smith on Donor Data and Classified Material
Grassley questioned Smith regarding his collection of thousands of Americans’ personal banking information, as well as his team’s exposure of classified materials, retaliation against whistleblowers, and disregard for constitutional guardrails.
During the session, Grassley stated that according to protected disclosures to his office, the operation obtained at least 4,782 donor checks, noting that many of those checks were five to ten dollars and included checks from constituents in every state of every single member of the committee, both Republicans and Democrats, alongside 42 checks from Iowans who dared to donate money to Republicans. Grassley asserted that there was no legitimate basis for what was done, while Smith stood by his former colleagues’ actions.
“Yes, we acquired financial information. As I sit here right now, I cannot recite to you every subpoena we issued… I can tell you why we issued subpoenas, and it was to conduct a criminal investigation…”Jack Smith, former Special Counsel
The hearing also touched on other topics, including Smith’s relationship with former CIA Director John Brennan. When Grassley asked if Smith had ever received any consultation or counsel by John Brennan whether during his time as Special Counsel or otherwise, and if so, when and for what purpose, Smith answered that he had never met John Brennan.
Will Chairman Chuck Grassley turn over the underlying records used by Sen. Eric Schmitt, and will an apology be issued?
