Chuck Grassley
Role at the time: Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in his opening statement as prepared for the hearing
Response to this claim
Sen. Chuck Grassley said that Jack Smith sought the toll records of 16 members of Congress, that the government sought toll records from at least four members before Smith, and that Smith's team also obtained the content of member communications, breaching the Speech or Debate Clause.
“Before Jack Smith, the government sought toll records from at least four Members of Congress. Jack Smith sought the toll records of 16 Members of Congress and also obtained the content of Member communications, breaching Speech or Debate. ... Accordingly, Jack Smith’s secretive efforts obtained Member toll records and, ultimately, content. Then, he sought Non-Disclosure Orders to hide his effort from Members, while also apparently failing to apprise the court of the targets.”
Senate Judiciary Committee's archived video of the September 29, 2026 hearing. In his opening remarks Chairman Chuck Grassley gave the committee majority's account of the toll records, the text messages and the nondisclosure orders.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
The case asks whether the collection of members' phone records and messages was proper. Grassley said Smith sought the toll records of 16 members, obtained the content of member communications in breach of Speech or Debate, and sought nondisclosure orders to hide the effort from members. That rejects the collection as improper and unconstitutional, so we labeled it Condemned.