Senate Judiciary Grills Telecom Execs Over Records Turned Over to Jack Smith
Telecom lawyers said they complied with at least 84 subpoenas tied to special counsel Jack Smith's probe, including requests for records of 20 lawmakers.
Overview
At a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, Chris Miller of Verizon, David McAtee of AT&T and Mark Nelson of T-Mobile testified they complied with at least 84 subpoenas connected to special counsel Jack Smith's Arctic Frost probe.
The subpoenas sought toll records showing call times and durations but not call content, and many were issued with nondisclosure orders that barred companies from notifying targeted lawmakers, company lawyers and Sen. Chuck Grassley said.
Sen. Josh Hawley and Sen. Lindsey Graham called the disclosures "outrageous" and said companies violated privacy and contract terms, while Sen. Dick Durbin and other Democrats defended toll-record collection as a routine investigative tool, according to hearing remarks.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said 10 of the subpoenas sought records tied to 20 current or former Republican members of Congress and that some disclosures involved Senate business lines, officials said.
Grassley said he plans to call former special counsel Jack Smith to testify and company executives said they will change processes to notify lawmakers and senior leadership before complying with similar legal demands, the witnesses said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present generally neutral coverage: they balance Republican outrage with telecom and Democratic responses, foreground procedural details (subpoena scope, nondisclosure orders, toll-record limits), and avoid editorialized language beyond quoted claims. For example, the article quotes Sen. Hawley’s criticism alongside Verizon’s counsel explaining legal compliance, showing parity in sourcing.
Sources (3)
FAQ
The Arctic Frost investigation is an FBI probe led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, targeting phone records related to Republican lawmakers around the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, which formed part of the elector case against President Trump.
Telecom companies complied with at least 84 subpoenas seeking toll records (call times and durations, not content) for about 20 current or former Republican lawmakers, including records tied to Senate business lines.
Executives from Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile testified that they complied with the subpoenas as they were legally valid, though some like AT&T questioned certain requests; they plan to improve notification processes for lawmakers.
Republican Senators like Josh Hawley, Lindsey Graham, and Chuck Grassley called the disclosures outrageous and a violation of privacy and contracts, while Democrats like Dick Durbin defended toll-record collection as routine.
Sen. Chuck Grassley plans to call former Special Counsel Jack Smith to testify, and telecom companies will change processes to notify lawmakers and leadership before complying with similar subpoenas.
History
This story does not have any previous versions.