{"id":2501918,"date":"2025-10-22T13:52:59","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T17:52:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jack-smith-lawyers-admit-media-reports-prompted-gop-subpoena\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T13:55:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T17:55:35","slug":"jack-smith-lawyers-admit-media-reports-prompted-gop-subpoena","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jack-smith-lawyers-admit-media-reports-prompted-gop-subpoena\/","title":{"rendered":"Jack Smith lawyers admit media reports prompted GOP subpoena"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjack-smith-lawyers-admit-media-reports-prompted-gop-subpoena%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2501918&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The legal team of former special counsel Jack Smith acknowledged that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nothing-about-this-election-seems-to-add-up-the-liberty-loft\/\" title=\"Nothing about this election seems to add up | The Liberty Loft\">media reports<\/a> influenced the 2023 subpoena of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wray-declines-to-confirm-fbis-use-of-geolocation-data-to-track-capitol-rioters-but-says-it-would-not-surprise-me\/\" title=\"Wray Declines to Confirm FBI\u2019s Use of Geolocation Data to Track Capitol Rioters But Says It \u2018Would Not Surprise Me\u2019\">phone records<\/a> from nine Republican lawmakers. This subpoena aimed to verify reports that then-President Donald Trump and his attorney Rudy Giuliani made calls to senators during the January 6 Capitol riot in efforts to delay the certification of the 2020 election results. Smith&#8217;s attorneys, Lanny Breuer and Peter Koski, defended the subpoenas as lawful and consistent with Department of Justice policies, emphasizing that only toll data (call metadata) was sought, covering a limited period from January 4 to January 7, 2021.<\/p>\n<p>The letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley came amid GOP accusations that Smith&#8217;s examination was politically motivated, with some lawmakers seeking an Office of Professional Obligation review and possible disbarment. smith&#8217;s counsel argued that collecting telephone metadata is a routine investigative method used by <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >prior special counsels irrespective<\/a> of party and denied claims of concealment. Simultaneously occurring, House Judiciary Committee Republicans, led by Chairman Jim Jordan, continue to demand Smith&#8217;s testimony, criticizing uncooperative witnesses and Smith&#8217;s lack of response to document requests related to the Trump investigations.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Jack Smith lawyers admit media reports prompted phone records subpoena of GOP lawmakers<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2376151\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Former special counsel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jack-smith\/page\/49\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jack Smith&rsquo;s<\/a> legal team acknowledged that media reports were a key factor behind his 2023 decision to subpoena the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3839645\/jack-smith-tracked-calls-gop-senators-jan-6-probe-fbi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">phone records of nine Republican lawmakers<\/a>, a revelation that could add new fuel to GOP accusations of political targeting.<\/p>\n<p>Smith&rsquo;s attorneys, Lanny Breuer and Peter Koski, defended the subpoenas as &ldquo;entirely proper, lawful, and consistent with established Department of Justice policy,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.bwbx.io\/documents\/users\/iqjWHBFdfxIU\/rEkNKjy1lIkc\/v0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according<\/a> to a letter they sent Tuesday to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-grassley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chuck Grassley<\/a> (R-IA). The letter follows a referral to the Justice Department sent by Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marsha-blackburn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Marsha Blackburn<\/a> (R-TN) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3854954\/gop-lawmakers-refer-jack-smith-to-doj\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">last week<\/a> that urged the Office of Professional Responsibility to investigate Smith and consider his disbarment in two states.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3859154\/pirro-blasts-bidens-dc-prosecutor-for-failing-prosecute-crimes\/\">Pirro blasts Biden&rsquo;s D.C. prosecutor for failing to prosecute 65% of crimes<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3858795\/trump-pre-presidency-claims-against-biden-doj-still-active\/\">Trump&rsquo;s pre-presidency claims against the Biden DOJ are still active<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3858601\/leaked-signal-texts-letitia-james-prosecutor-dont-violate-ethics-rules-experts-say\/\">Leaked Signal texts from Letitia James prosecutor don&rsquo;t violate ethics rules, experts say<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Smith&rsquo;s lawyers said the subpoenas, which sought toll data that captured the date, time, and duration of calls but not their content, were issued after &ldquo;reports by multiple news outlets&rdquo; suggested that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">President Donald Trump<\/a> and his then-attorney Rudy Giuliani attempted to call senators during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to urge them to delay certification of the 2020 election results. They cited <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/01\/08\/politics\/mike-lee-tommy-tuberville-trump-misdialed-capitol-riot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contemporaneous stories<\/a> from CNN,&nbsp;<em>The Dispatch<\/em>, and&nbsp;<em>Business Insider<\/em>&nbsp;describing Trump&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/tommy-tuberville-wrong-number-trump-2021-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">misdialed calls<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/thedispatch.com\/article\/giuliani-to-senator-try-to-just-slow\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Giuliani&rsquo;s voicemails<\/a> to Republican senators, including Sens. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tommy-tuberville\/\">Tommy Tuberville<\/a> (R-AL) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-lee\/\">Mike Lee<\/a> (R-UT).<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The toll data collection was narrowly tailored and limited to the four days from January 4, 2021 to January 7, 2021,&rdquo; Breuer and Koski wrote, describing it as a focused effort to verify the media accounts. The attorneys also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6382234662112\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rejected claims<\/a> from FBI Director <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kash-patel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kash Patel<\/a> that Smith concealed the records, saying his office &ldquo;faithfully adhered&rdquo; to DOJ procedures and obtained authorization from the department&rsquo;s Public Integrity Section before proceeding.<\/p>\n<p>The letter marks Smith&rsquo;s first direct rebuttal to allegations that the Biden-era FBI&rsquo;s Arctic Frost investigation, later merged into his Trump election-interference prosecution, illegally targeted Republican members of Congress. Grassley previously described the subpoenas as &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3844119\/grassley-no-jack-smith-arctic-frost-hearings-until-doj-hands-over-more-records\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">arguably worse than Watergate<\/a>,&rdquo; while Blackburn and other GOP lawmakers called them &ldquo;a weaponized witch hunt.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Smith&rsquo;s counsel countered that collecting telephone metadata is a routine investigative step used in both Democratic and Republican administrations, noting that former special counsel Robert Hur employed similar methods in his 2024 inquiry into then-President Joe Biden&rsquo;s classified documents.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Politics never influenced his decision making,&rdquo; the letter stated. &ldquo;Mr. Smith&rsquo;s investigative efforts, including the issuance of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-prosecutor-probing-attempts-to-influence-2020-election\/\" title=\"Georgia Prosecutor Probing Attempts to Influence 2020 Election\">grand jury subpoena<\/a> for telephone toll records, were handled in an entirely lawful and appropriate manner.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3849905\/house-judiciary-committee-demands-jack-smith-testimony\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE DEMANDS JACK SMITH TESTIFY OVER TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-judiciary-committee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">House Judiciary Committee<\/a> Republicans continue to demand that Smith testify about what they call politically motivated prosecutions. The committee has already interviewed other prosecutors involved in investigations of Trump during his four years out of office, including Jay Bratt, Thomas Windom, and J.P. Cooney.<\/p>\n<p>Chairman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jim-jordan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jim Jordan<\/a> (R-OH) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3849905\/house-judiciary-committee-demands-jack-smith-testimony\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said in a letter last week<\/a> that those witnesses have been uncooperative with the committee&rsquo;s inquiry, and that Smith himself has so far failed to respond to earlier requests to turn over documents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Smith&#8217;s lawyers admit media reports led to GOP phone records subpoena<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2501919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/AP23160727196524.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[65694,32463,4875,57386,65693],"class_list":["post-2501918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-gop-subpoena","tag-jack-smith","tag-lawyers","tag-legal-investigation","tag-media-reports"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/AP23160727196524.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2501918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2501918"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2501918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2501922,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2501918\/revisions\/2501922"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2501919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2501918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2501918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2501918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}