Marsha Blackburn sues Jack Smith over seized phone records
The complaint seeks $1 in damages and an order to return or destroy the records, saying Smith lacked lawful appointment authority.
- Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against former Special Counsel Jack Smith, alleging he unlawfully obtained her cellphone toll records during his Arctic Frost investigation into the 2020 election.
- Prosecutors obtained a sealed nondisclosure order from Verizon to keep the subpoena secret, preventing Blackburn from asserting legislative privilege and violating, she alleges, the Speech or Debate Clause.
- The 46-page complaint challenges Smith's 2022 appointment by Attorney General Merrick Garland, arguing he lacked Senate confirmation required by the Appointments Clause. Justice Department memos cited in the filing acknowledged "litigation risk" regarding Speech or Debate Clause violations.
- Blackburn demands a jury trial, $1 in nominal damages, and court orders forcing the Justice Department to destroy seized legislative materials, calling the action "the grave abuse of authority that this case seeks to rectify."
- This lawsuit escalates Republican efforts to challenge Smith's investigation more than a year after his probe ended, with records indicating the Arctic Frost probe targeted at least 20 Republican members of Congress.
37 Articles
37 Articles
Marsha Blackburn Sues Jack Smith, DOJ Over Her J6 Phone Records
Sen. Marsha Blackburn is taking Jack Smith to short over a subpoena held to President Trump's election interest probe. The Tennessee Republican sued Smith and the Justice Department on Wednesday, reports the New York Times, arguing that obtaining her phone toll records during the Jan. 6 investigation violated the Constitution's...
Sen. Marsha Blackburn sues ex-Special Counsel Jack Smith, says he illegally obtained her phone records
Sen. Marsha Blackburn sued former special counsel Jack Smith and the Justice Department in Tennessee federal court Wednesday, charging that the prosecutor wrongfully obtained her call logs during his investigation into President Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 election outcome.
"I think it would be good for him to face a judicial process," Blackburn said this week on the podcast "John Solomon Reports," just a few hours before filing his lawsuit.The lawsuit alleges that Smith was never a legal special prosecutor and therefore violated his rights as a member of Congress by secretly collecting his phone records.
Jack Smith’s Donald Trump Probe Sparks New Lawsuit From Marsha Blackburn
Former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Donald Trump just landed him in court as the defendant. Senator Marsha Blackburn filed a lawsuit against Smith over his secret access to congressional phone records during the probe. Marsha Blackburn sues Jack Smith over her phone records Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) filed a lawsuit against former special […]
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