Jack Smith faces new lawsuit over congressional phone records

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has filed a lawsuit against former special counsel Jack Smith, alleging the latter unlawfully obtained her cellphone toll records during his investigation into Donald Trump and the 2020 election, according to prosecutors. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, claims Smith obtained a nondisclosure order without informing the judge that the subpoena sought the records of a sitting senator, a claim Blackburn's legal team is emphasizing through their $1 nominal damages request.

Blackburn argues the probe, known as Arctic Frost, represents one of the worst abuses of government power in American history and seeks to hold Smith accountable. The lawsuit comes one day after Smith testified at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing and follows a prior accusation by Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) that Smith perjured himself during the hearing, a claim Smith and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) later corrected.

The Arctic Frost probe, launched by the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee, sought to identify individuals who allegedly conspired to obstruct Congress by submitting fraudulent elector certificates in the 2020 presidential election certification process. Blackburn's lawsuit extends the legal and political battle over the Justice Department's investigations into Trump after his presidency, with Trump and his allies planning to continue targeting those who investigated or opposed him, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI chief James Comey, and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).