Full Breakdown
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Team Accessed Texts Between Trump White House Officials and 44 Members of Congress
7/15/2026, 1:19:48 AM
Core Event
Justice Department records released to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Senator Ron Johnson reveal that former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigative team directly accessed text-message content exchanged between former Trump White House personnel and 44 U.S. senators and representatives. The messages, sent between October 2020 and January 20, 2021, involved officials such as former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Dan Scavino, Ivanka Trump, Stephen Miller, Peter Navarro, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, FBI Director Kash Patel, Rudy Giuliani, Kellyanne Conway and then-Vice President Mike Pence.
Background & Context
Smith’s investigations, dubbed “Project Coconut” (probing efforts to overturn the 2020 election) and “Project Cranberry” (examining alleged hoarding of national-security documents at Mar-a-Lago), required the retrieval of records from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The DOJ established an internal “Filter Team” to screen any material that might be protected by attorney-client privilege or the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause before investigators could view it.
Key Figures & Groups
- Jack Smith – former special counsel leading the Jan. 6 and Mar-a-Lago probes.
- Chuck Grassley – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman (R-Iowa), recipient of the DOJ records.
- Ron Johnson – Republican senator (R-Wis.) who co-received the documents.
- Mark Meadows, Dan Scavino, Ivanka Trump, Stephen Miller, Peter Navarro, John Ratcliffe, Kash Patel, Rudy Giuliani, Kellyanne Conway, Mike Pence – former Trump administration officials whose phones were the source of the texts.
- Cory Booker (D-NJ), Adam Smith (D-WA), Karen Bass (D-CA), Lee Zeldin (R-NY) – among the legislators whose messages were reviewed.
Data & Statistics
- 44 members of Congress (both parties) had their texts accessed.
- The DOJ obtained 54 Excel files containing the messages, placed on a shared drive.
- The filter team was bypassed, allowing investigators to view the content directly.
Why It Matters
The Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause shields congressional communications made in the course of official duties from criminal prosecution. Bypassing the filter process raises concerns that privileged legislative material was examined without proper safeguards, potentially setting a precedent for future investigations that intersect with congressional activity.
Official Statements & Responses
- The Justice Department’s letter confirmed that the special-counsel team “bypassed the Filter Team and directly accessed these text messages.”
- Assistant Attorney General Patrick Davis noted the deviation from standard protocol in a letter to Grassley.
- Senate Judiciary Committee staff emphasized that the filter team’s purpose was to prevent exposure of privileged materials.
Criticism & Opposition
Republican leaders denounced the action as a constitutional breach. Grassley called the operation a “fishing expedition” and accused the Biden administration of weaponizing the Justice Department. Johnson described the conduct as “grotesque” and urged outrage.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
During a December 2025 deposition, Smith testified that his team did not look at the content of lawmakers’ texts, answering “No.” The released records, however, show that a filter-team subgroup did view the messages, leaving unclear whether Smith’s denial referred only to the primary prosecution team or to the entire special-counsel operation.
Verbatim Quotes
- “This is yet another grotesque example of the Biden administration’s weaponization of the Justice Department,” — Ron Johnson, Senator
- “Jack Smith’s criminal investigation of President Trump was a runaway train that had no brakes.” — Chuck Grassley, Senator
- “No.” — Jack Smith, Former Special Counsel
- “Based on the information that’s been produced to me and Senator Johnson, Biden DOJ and FBI investigators apparently ignored their own routine investigative protocols to obtain and review work-related messages from me and dozens of my Republican and Democrat colleagues who were outside the scope of the government’s investigation,” — Chuck Grassley, Senator
- “I hope my Democrat colleagues, several of whom had their own texts swept up, finally put partisanship aside and recognize the severity of these actions.” — Chuck Grassley, Senator
What’s Next
Grassley announced plans to summon Smith before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the coming months to address the alleged procedural violations. No further congressional action has been detailed.
