Q&A: Runaway Government Weaponization Hurts Iowans

Q&A: Runaway Government Weaponization Hurts Iowans

With U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley

Q: What should Iowans know about Jack Smith's criminal investigations against President Trump?

A: Three days after President Trump announced his campaign for re-election in 2022, the Biden Justice Department appointed Special Counsel Jack Smith to conduct an investigation into Trump for allegedly mishandling classified documents and election interference. The genesis for Smith's election investigation began at the Biden Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under the codename "Arctic Frost." An FBI agent - who was later forced to resign for publicly posting blatant political content online - broke the FBI's own rules to get the investigation off the ground. That agent was found to have violated the Hatch Act for his political conduct on the taxpayers' dime.

As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, my congressional oversight of Smith's "Arctic Frost" case exposed a dangerous weaponization of the federal government that reinforces the importance of our robust system of checks and balances. Reckless, partisan investigations that misuse federal law enforcement, waste taxpayer dollars and target everyday Americans for partisan advantage undermine the public trust in government.

Thanks to courageous whistleblower disclosures, my oversight showed the Biden Department of Justice was out to get President Trump, and cast a net over the entire Republican Party, including groups and individuals. At the congressional hearing I led in September, I called Smith to testify and answer questions about the blatant abuse of power by partisan federal agents and prosecutors that swept lawmakers, journalists and ordinary Americans into their dragnet.

My oversight revealed extensive government overreach by Smith and his team, including how they:

• Subpoenaed the personal checks of 4,782 Americans from all 50 states who donated to President Trump or Trump-aligned campaigns between 2019 to 2023, including 42 Iowans.

• Obtained the phone toll records of at least 16 members of Congress and the content of text messages of 44 lawmakers, including mine. This violated a constitutional guardrail known as the Speech or Debate clause, which prevents the executive branch from infringing on the legislative branch's ability to carry out its core constitutional responsibilities.

• Obtained the communications of journalists, vacuuming up messages between nearly 50 reporters and their government sources, including 60 Minutes, Associated Press, CNN, CBS, NBC, the Wall Street Journal and more.

• Scooped up records from more than 400 Republican groups and individuals.

Smith and his team of prosecutors and investigators broke the rules to throw the book at President Trump and put a target on the backs of his supporters. This bad faith approach to the rule of law gives the Department of Justice a black eye and erodes public confidence in government institutions.

Q: How did 42 Iowans get swept up in Jack Smith's investigation?

A: Jack Smith's subpoenas scooped up individual donor checks that included the sensitive information of private citizens across all 50 states. Among them, copies of the bank account numbers, routing numbers, home addresses and individual signatures of 42 Iowans were handed over to the Biden Justice Department and FBI. Sweeping up donor checks in a partisan dragnet is not the proper use of our justice system. This was an egregious invasion of privacy and a clear cut example of government overreach. As a government watchdog, my oversight will continue to keep check on abuses of power and ensure the laws passed by Congress are faithfully executed.

On behalf of Iowans, I'm working as hard as ever to restore public trust in government. Sadly, every single Democrat in the U.S. Senate voted against the Stop Insider Trading Act that would ban members of Congress, spouses and their dependent children from purchasing stocks in publicly traded companies. That bill also includes a commonsense voter ID requirement that's supported by more than 80% of Americans. The bill passed the House of Representatives earlier this year, with backing from Reps. Miller-Meeks, Hinson, Nunn and Feenstra. Democrats' obstruction is yet another example of their party putting politics before the American people.

Partisanship also is contaminating the federal bench. I've called on Chief Justice John Roberts to look into incendiary comments by federal judges that undermine public confidence in the courts and erode the perception of impartiality upon which our justice system depends. Iowans deserve and expect the nonpartisan administration of justice and equal treatment under the law. When partisanship steers prosecutions or infiltrates the court of law, public confidence wanes. As Iowa's senior U.S. Senator, I'll continue working to restore faith in government and bring common sense to Washington.

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