Read the list: 44 lawmakers swept into Jack Smith text sweep as his legal reckoning grows
Justice Department records released by two Republican-led Senate committees indicate that former special counsel Jack Smith’s team obtained and reviewed text messages between Trump White House officials and 44 current and former members of Congress. The disclosures have intensified Republican criticism of Smith’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, with lawmakers questioning the scope and handling of the inquiry.
The messages were included in White House records subpoenaed from the National Archives, covering 1 October 2020 to 20 January 2021. The article says the records form part of a broader dispute over whether Smith’s investigators acted appropriately, while Smith has rejected Republican allegations that he misled Congress.
- Smith’s team reviewed messages involving 44 lawmakers.
- Records covered the final months of Trump’s first term.
- Republicans are escalating scrutiny of the investigation.