Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) delivered one of the sharpest exchanges of Tuesday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, grilling former Special Counsel Jack Smith over the scope of the "Arctic Frost" investigation's subpoenas targeting Republicans.
Cruz displayed a chart citing 197 subpoenas involving at least 430 Republican individuals and entities — records previously released by Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley — and asked Smith, "Is it a crime to be a Republican?" Smith replied, "Absolutely not, sir."
The senator pressed Smith on whether his team subpoenaed records from the Republican National Committee, Turning Point USA, and small-dollar donor and fundraising information. Smith repeatedly deflected, saying he "would have to look" or did not recall the specifics. "You can sigh all you like; it's a very simple question," Cruz told him. "You know damn well you did!"
Grassley disclosed at the hearing that Smith's team obtained personal checks from 4,782 Republican donors, including small-dollar contributions. Senators also raised preservation requests issued to Apple covering devices attached to accounts, with nondisclosure orders, and subpoenas touching journalists and lawmakers.
Cruz accused Smith of turning an investigation of President Trump into a dragnet through the Republican political world, calling it a disgraceful abuse of Justice Department power. Smith denied targeting anyone for being a Republican and maintained that his team pursued evidence related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, saying politics played no role in his decisions.