Grassley defends record after attacks from Democrats over Jack Smith treatment

Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) defended his record after the committee’s Democrats called on the GOP side of the panel to apologize to former special counsel Jack Smith.

The letter from Grassley to Democrats makes little reference to the conduct that spurred a prevoius letter from ranking member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) – a line of questioning from Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Iowa) in which he accused Smith of being present at a basketball game in Atlanta in an effort to tie the prosecutor to follow President Trump investigator Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D).

Smith was not at an Atlanta Hawks game in that city on the night in question, but instead was in Maryland to see the women’s Iowa Hawkeyes play.

In Thursday’s letter, Democrats also demanded that Grassley turn over the texts that Schmitt used as the basis for his questions, some of which were flashed during the healing with Smith, citing the need to do so under committee rules.

“Contrary to your misguided statement, the major embarrassment of the hearing was Democrats falling over themselves defending unlawful and unconstitutional actions by Jack Smith,” Grassley wrote in his letter.

The four-page letter to Durbin lays out a number of grievances Grassley has with committee Democrats, accusing them of defending what he sees as improper prosecutorial conduct with Smith as well as a failure by Democrats to always be transparent with the other side.

Grassley also faults Smith for withholding certain records – though it would be up to the Justice Department to release those files. That includes what he called 800 pages of emails “at the center mass of this Committee’s investigation.”

Grassley has said much of the information he has received on Smith’s investigations have come from whistleblowers, not directly in Justice Department disclosures.

He said, however, he would not yet be turning those over to Democrats, citing the need to protect his sources from retaliation.

“Ultimately, the public still awaits a full accounting of Jack Smith and his Special Counsel staff’s conduct. The investigation is active, the hearing is not the end of my work, and therefore some records will not be shared with you until a later date. But, rest assured, as I have in the past, you will be given access to those records, including next week when our respective staff meet.

The letter underscores tensions on a committee that has a long history of working in a bipartisan fashion and traditionally has had good relationships at the staff level as well.

Grassley said both sides are set to meet next week.

In a statement, Durbin’s team said they have still yet to receive the records they demanded.

“Chairman Grassley’s letter spends four pages spinning conspiracy theories without ever addressing the fact that Republicans continue to violate Senate Rules by withholding from Democrats the documents that were the basis for the false accusations of perjury against Jack Smith,” a Durbin spokesperson said.

“Republicans remain laser focused on attacking Mr. Smith because they don’t want to talk about President Trump’s disgraceful and un-American crimes that Mr. Smith was investigating.”