Project Borderless
← All stories

Grassley says he has records showing Jack Smith team reviewed 44 lawmakers' text messages

2026-07-14

One event · 2 sidesAI-generated analysis
Center

Grassley announced he received DOJ notice that Jack Smith's team obtained lawmakers' text messages during the Trump probe, with the claims attributed to the senator.

Right

Jack Smith's team reviewed text messages of 44 members of Congress of both parties, allegedly bypassing a privilege-screening team, in what Republicans characterize as a constitutional violation.

Jack Smith’s legacy under scrutiny as questions mount over Trump case tactics

Washington Examiner · 2026-07-17

The Biden Justice Department’s pursuit of President Donald Trump is facing fresh scrutiny after newly released materials showed former special counsel Jack Smith’s team accessed text messages to or from 44 members of Congress before a DOJ filter team had completed its privilege review — as well as…

Jack Smith Surveilled Dozens Of Members Of Congress As Part Of Trump Investigation

The Daily Wire · 2026-07-15

Former special counsel Jack Smith will be called before the Senate Judiciary Committee after newly released Justice Department records showed his investigative team accessed text messages involving 44 members of Congress during its criminal investigation into Trump, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck…

What every side reports

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the Justice Department provided records indicating that former special counsel Jack Smith's team reviewed text messages involving 44 current and former members of Congress as part of an investigation into President Trump.

Where the framing diverges

The center outlet (The Hill) attributes the claims to Grassley and uses his quoted characterization ('secretly obtained'), keeping the framing sourced to the senator. The right-leaning outlets present the review more directly and amplify Republican criticism, foregrounding evaluative language such as 'ran roughshod over the Constitution' and noting the team 'apparently bypassed' a privilege-screening process, framing the action as a potential overreach.

Framing analysis generated by claude-opus-4-8. It describes how coverage differs — not who is correct.