Jack Smith's Team Accessed Text Messages Between Trump Officials and 44 Lawmakers, DOJ Records Show

Jack Smith's Team Accessed Text Messages Between Trump Officials and 44 Lawmakers, DOJ Records Show

What Happened

On Tuesday, July 14, 2026, the United States Department of Justice released records to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican representing Iowa. According to these newly released records, the office of former special counsel Jack Smith accessed and viewed the text messages of forty-four members of Congress.

The records reveal that the special counsel's team viewed communications between Donald Trump's White House personnel and forty-four lawmakers from both major political parties. This action occurred during a probe into President Trump. Among the individuals whose communications were accessed by the former special counsel's team was Senator Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey.

The Department of Justice made these records public by releasing them directly to Chairman Grassley, revealing the scope of the congressional communications accessed by Jack Smith's team during the investigation.

Why It Matters

The access of text messages belonging to forty-four lawmakers has drawn sharp criticism from members of Congress. Republicans have expressed strong opposition to the special counsel's actions, stating that Jack Smith's team "ran roughshod over the Constitution" when they viewed these communications.

The records show that the communications accessed by the special counsel's office were not limited to one political party, but rather involved forty-four lawmakers from both parties who had exchanged messages with Trump White House personnel. This crossover means the action impacted both Democratic and Republican members of Congress, including Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ).

The situation highlights a major point of contention regarding the limits of a special counsel's investigative powers, with Republicans pointing to the accessed text messages as an example of an action that overstepped constitutional boundaries during the probe into President Trump.

What Happens Next

The Department of Justice has officially released these investigative records to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). Following the receipt of these records, the Senate Judiciary Committee now has access to the official documentation detailing how the special counsel's office viewed the communications of the forty-four lawmakers.

The source text does not outline any specific future hearings, additional disclosures, or legal actions that will be taken by Chairman Grassley, the Senate Judiciary Committee, or the Department of Justice. It remains to be seen how the committee will utilize these records or if further actions will be taken regarding former special counsel Jack Smith's team and their access to these congressional communications.

What We Still Don't Know

While the newly released Department of Justice records confirm that forty-four members of Congress had their text messages viewed, several key details remain undisclosed in the provided report.

First, the full list of the forty-four lawmakers has not been fully revealed. Although the records explicitly mention Senator Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, the identities of the other forty-three lawmakers from both parties whose text messages were accessed remain unknown.

Second, the specific content of the text messages between the Trump White House personnel and the forty-four members of Congress is not detailed in the records. It is unclear what subjects were discussed in these communications or how they directly related to the special counsel's probe into President Trump.

Third, the exact timeframe in which these text messages were sent, received, or subsequently accessed and read by Jack Smith's team is not specified. The documents do not clarify when the communications took place or the specific dates when the special counsel's office viewed them.

Lastly, it is unknown whether the affected lawmakers were notified before or during the time their text messages were being viewed by the special counsel's team, or if the full scope of the monitoring is only now being realized through the records released to Chairman Grassley.

Source Note

The facts and details in this article are sourced entirely from reporting by the New York Post, published on July 14, 2026.