Hawley alleges unlawful surveillance, urges perjury investigation of Jack Smith
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Missouri US Sen. Josh Hawley accused former Special Counsel Jack Smith of unlawfully obtaining his phone and text message toll records and conducting broader surveillance of Americans during a Senate hearing, calling for a perjury investigation over Smith's previous congressional testimony.
During questioning of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Hawley said records tied to him included metadata such as incoming and outgoing calls, location information and text message toll records. Hawley alleged the actions were part of the Biden-era Justice Department's "Arctic Frost" investigation, which examined efforts surrounding the 2020 presidential election.
Hawley said the investigation extended beyond members of Congress, claiming some Missourians told him FBI agents questioned them about whether they had been in Washington around January 2021 despite not being involved in the Jan. 6 attack.
Holding up what he described as a transcript of Smith's prior testimony before Congress, Hawley pointed to an exchange in which Smith said investigators did not obtain the content of text messages. Hawley argued recently released records show investigators sought more information than Smith acknowledged and questioned whether Smith had testified truthfully under oath.
Blanche responded that the Justice Department takes testimony before Congress seriously and answered "yes" when Hawley asked whether Smith should be investigated for possible perjury.
Hawley said he believes those responsible for what he described as unconstitutional surveillance should be held accountable, arguing the Justice Department improperly targeted President Donald Trump, members of Congress and private citizens.
The records discussed during the hearing concern phone and text metadata—such as call times, phone numbers and other routing information—rather than the contents of calls or text messages. Hawley contends the metadata collection amounted to unlawful surveillance, while the broader legal dispute over the scope and legality of those requests remains the subject of ongoing Republican oversight.
