Republican Sens. Charles Grassley, Ron Johnson, and Ted Cruz released documents revealing that former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team subpoenaed Verizon Communications for extensive personal records belonging to Kash Patel during his time as a private citizen.
The request included call and message logs, but did not ask for the contents of the messages or calls, according to documents. Investigators sought these records in 2022 as part of the broader inquiry into whether President Donald Trump interfered with the 2020 election or concealed classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, for which Patel received limited immunity to testify before a grand jury.
Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.
Point phone camera here
Magistrate Judge James Mazzone issued a 2022 nondisclosure order, finding “reasonable grounds to believe that disclosure will result in flight from prosecution, destruction of or tampering with evidence, intimidation of potential witnesses and serious jeopardy to the investigation.”
Ahead of a subcommittee hearing on the Arctic Frost investigation, FBI spokesman Ben Williamson alleged the records show “the FBI under prior leadership was weaponized in ways the American people are only now beginning to fully grasp.”
While the specific allegations against the current FBI director remain unclear, congressional Democrats defended the special counsel. Smith told Congress in January that he “followed Justice Department policies, observed legal requirements and took actions based on the facts and the law.”
