'Deranged partisan fanatic' Jack Smith obtained personal info on Trump supporters to try to rig the election, Tom Cotton says
Cotton accused former special counsel Jack Smith of using investigative powers to help Democrats win the 2024 election.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYThe publisher's recorded rating is 46 across 63 stories, which is the strongest available outlet-specific signal. The article attributes key claims to named participants and a press release or transcript, but the page provides little independent corroboration.
- Track record — The publisher's rating is 46 based on 63 stories, indicating below-average institutional credibility.
- Source type — Recorded as a national news publisher, but the outlet-specific rating warrants a lower assessment than established national outlets.
- Author attribution — A named author is provided.
- Editorial standards — The article attributes claims to participants but offers limited independent verification in the text.
The article identifies the speakers and includes Smith's response, along with details attributed to a whistleblower and Grassley's press release. It gives little independent corroboration or opposing perspective beyond Smith's defense, and its headline and wording emphasize the Republican accusations.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article includes Smith's denial and explanation, but most of the account is organized around Republican senators' allegations and criticism. It does not independently assess whether the subpoenas were necessary or provide additional perspectives.
- Counterarguments presented — Smith's denial and explanation of the subpoenas are included.
- Source diversity — The account primarily presents Republican senators and Smith, with no independent expert or other committee-member perspective.
- Loaded language — The headline uses an inflammatory characterization drawn from Cotton's accusation.
- Omitted context — The article gives limited context for the subpoenas and does not independently evaluate the competing claims.
The article foregrounds Republican allegations and uses an inflammatory headline, while offering less context for evaluating the claims. Smith's denial and defense are included, but the overall framing favors the critics' account.
- Headline — The headline adopts an accusation and a pejorative description of Smith rather than neutrally describing the dispute.
- Framing — The article emphasizes allegations that Smith sought to influence the election and obtained personal data improperly.
- Source selection — Republican senators supply several critical statements; Smith's response appears but no other independent perspective is presented.
- Language tone — The article repeats highly charged language from Cotton and Kennedy.
Senate Republicans criticized former special counsel Jack Smith over his collection of financial and phone records, while Smith defended the subpoenas as part of a criminal investigation. Tom Cotton accused Smith of trying to influence the 2024 election, and Chuck Grassley said the records exposed constituents’ personal information.
Chuck Grassley said a whistleblower had revealed that Smith obtained checks and donor information from people who contributed to Donald Trump and pro-Trump groups. Grassley argued the information was unnecessary and challenged Smith during testimony; Smith said he could not recall each subpoena but maintained that he issued subpoenas to gather facts in a criminal investigation. Republicans on the committee also shared an image of checks with personal information redacted.
Tom Cotton accused Smith of trying to help Democrats win the 2024 election, and John Kennedy criticized him over the collection of congressional phone-call toll records. Smith denied that his investigation was politically motivated. The article also says Smith obtained two indictments against Trump related to the 2020 election and classified documents, and that both were dismissed after Trump won in 2024.
Community verdict
9 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →Senator who accused Smith of trying to influence the 2024 election
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman who challenged Smith over records collected during the investigation
Grassley's version of this story ↗President whose donors' records were discussed and whose indictments are mentioned
Senator who criticized Smith during questioning about congressional phone records
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