Jack Smith Issued Nearly 200 Subpoenas Targeting Republicans in Sweeping Political Investigation

Let’s start with the facts, because facts do not care about your feelings, and these facts are stunning.

Newly released FBI files obtained by Senator Chuck Grassley reveal that former Special Counsel Jack Smith issued 197 subpoenas targeting Republican organizations, officials, and donors during his Justice Department investigation under the Biden administration. The scope of this operation is breathtaking: 34 individuals, 163 entities including banks and political groups, with requests for information on more than 400 people and organizations connected to the Republican Party.

This is not normal prosecutorial behavior. This is a fishing expedition of unprecedented proportions.

The FBI records stem from Smith’s “Arctic Frost” probe, the same operation that previously drew scrutiny for secretly obtaining phone and financial records from Republican lawmakers and affiliated organizations. Among those reportedly swept up in this dragnet were Turning Point USA and the Republican Attorneys General Association. These are not fringe groups. These are mainstream conservative organizations engaging in constitutionally protected political activity.

Here is where the story becomes even more troubling. FBI Director Kash Patel uncovered hidden “lockbox” files showing that Smith’s team had tracked communications of sitting lawmakers in 2023. Patel appropriately dismissed the agents involved and opened internal reviews. But the damage was done, and the pattern was clear: the Justice Department under the Biden administration weaponized federal law enforcement against political opponents.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has demanded that Smith testify before Congress about his handling of the Trump investigations and his use of subpoenas against elected officials. Jordan’s letter cited “politically motivated” conduct, which aligns with findings from the Office of Special Counsel that launched an inquiry into possible Hatch Act violations. Smith’s recent remarks in London defending prosecutorial independence and denying partisanship ring hollow in light of these revelations.

The FBI files also spotlight U.S. District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg, who signed orders permitting Smith’s team to obtain lawmakers’ cell data while prohibiting companies such as AT&T from notifying them. Read that again: a federal judge authorized secret surveillance of elected officials and prevented the telecommunications companies from informing those officials they were being monitored.

Boasberg, appointed by former President Barack Obama, now serves as chief judge in Washington. His record includes rulings that impacted Trump administration policies, involvement in the Russiagate surveillance controversy, orders halting deportation flights of illegal aliens, and a judicial memo revealing what colleagues described as his “concern” over Trump creating a constitutional crisis. This is a judge with a demonstrated pattern of political bias, and he authorized secret surveillance of Republican lawmakers.

Congressional Republicans are now calling for Boasberg’s impeachment, and they are right to do so. A federal judge who authorizes secret surveillance of elected officials from the opposing party while preventing notification has violated the public trust and undermined the separation of powers.

The broader context here matters. This was not an isolated incident but part of a coordinated effort to use the machinery of government against political opponents. The Justice Department, the FBI, and complicit federal judges worked together to surveil, investigate, and prosecute Republicans under the guise of legitimate law enforcement.

This is lawfare, plain and simple. It is the use of legal systems and institutions to delegitimize, damage, or destroy political opponents. It is fundamentally incompatible with constitutional governance and the rule of law.

The American people deserve answers. Jack Smith must testify under oath about his actions. Judge Boasberg must face consequences for authorizing unconstitutional surveillance. And the FBI must undergo comprehensive reform to prevent future abuses.

These are not partisan concerns. They are constitutional imperatives. When the government can secretly surveil hundreds of political opponents without accountability, we no longer have a republic. We have tyranny with a gavel.

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