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.
27 Articles
27 Articles
Senator Sues Former Special Counsel Jack Smith
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) on Wednesday sued former special counsel Jack Smith and the Department of Justice (DOJ) over a subpoena Smith’s office issued for her phone records during his investigation of President Donald Trump’s actions around Congress’s certification of the 2020 election. Blackburn alleged Smith violated her constitutional rights and was unlawfully appointed. She asked the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Ten…
BLACKBURN SUES JACK SMITH OVER SEIZED PHONE RECORDS AS ARCTIC FROST FALLOUT SPREADS
Sen. Marsha Blackburn filed suit against former Special Counsel Jack Smith, alleging he violated her constitutional rights by obtaining her phone records, while a newly circulated exchange between Sen. Ted Cruz and Smith fuels claims the Arctic Frost probe targeted hundreds of conservative groups.
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