Grassley, Johnson to DOJ and FBI: Preserve All Records on Jack Smith’s Trump-Targeted Investigations

Grassley, Johnson to DOJ and FBI: Preserve All Records on Jack Smith's Trump-Targeted Investigations

'If a politically-charged case is to be opened, it must be done the right way and free from political bias.'

WASHINGTON - Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) are putting the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI on notice to preserve all records related to Special Counsel Jack Smith's criminal investigations into President Donald Trump, in order to ensure Congress' ability to conduct proper oversight. Notably, former FBI Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault - who publicly engaged in anti-Trump political partisanship - was deeply involved in the decision to open and pursue the investigation that ultimately became one of Special Counsel Smith's cases.

In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Special Counsel Jack Smith, the senators note "[their] request is necessary based on the Justice Department's past failures to preserve federal records." They are further pressing DOJ to explain what the agency is doing to determine whether employees with access to sensitive investigations, including members of the Mueller Special Counsel team, have leaked classified information to the media. The senators in their letter are also releasing a photograph from inside an FBI office of an award given to an FBI Special Agent for working on the Mueller investigation against then-President Trump. That FBI Special Agent also worked on aspects of Special Counsel Smith's case against President Trump.

"Due to the apparent political bias of FBI officials that were involved in the genesis of a case against former President Trump, preservation of Special Counsel Smith's records is more important than ever," the senators wrote. "If a politically-charged case is to be opened, it must be done the right way and free from political bias."

"[C]onsidering the Justice Department's past destruction of federal records relevant to congressional oversight and political bias infecting its decision-making process, we request that you preserve all records related to the Justice Department's criminal investigations of former President Trump by Special Counsel Smith. The improper conduct of the past cannot be repeated in this matter; therefore, all records must be preserved so that Congress can perform an objective and independent review," the senators concluded.

Grassley and Johnson's letter builds on their efforts to ensure accountability for DOJ's apparent political bias in its investigations of President Trump. Read their latest letter HERE.

Background

Grassley and Johnson laid out how DOJ and FBI previously sought to cover their tracks amid sensitive, politically-skewed investigations:

1. DOJ employees in 2020 wiped data from their government phones after assisting in Special Counsel Mueller's baseless investigation into alleged Russian collusion during the 2016 election.
2. The Justice Management Division failed to review official records on all the government phones it obtained from employees after the Mueller investigation concluded.
3. Some DOJ employees began deleting federal records around the same time the DOJ Office of the Inspector General launched a review into DOJ's mishandling of Crossfire Hurricane.
4. The FBI agreed to destroy records and potential evidence during its investigation into former Secretary Hillary Clinton's mishandling of classified information.

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