Jack Smith’s Team Obtained More Than 4,700 Donor Checks in Trump Probe, Grassley Says

Former special counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed nearly 5,000 checks from Americans who donated to President Donald Trump and Trump-aligned entities, according to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

The checks were subpoenaed as part of Jack Smith’s special counsel investigation, which took over the FBI’s Arctic Frost probe into allegations that Trump illegally attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Smith told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 29 that he stood by his decisions as special counsel, including bringing charges against Trump. The charges were ultimately dropped after Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

During Tuesday’s committee hearing, Grassley said whistleblower disclosures showed that Smith obtained 4,782 checks from Americans who donated to Trump and Republican entities between Sept. 2019 and August 2023.

Asked on Tuesday if his team obtained possession of financial information pertaining to donors during his investigation into Trump’s alleged conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, Smith said, “Yes, we acquired financial information.”

“As I sit here right now, I cannot recite to you every subpoena we issued,” he added.

Smith told Grassley that he had “a duty to collect facts” and that the subpoenas were issued to investigate what he described as “one of the most serious crimes that’s ever happened in our nation’s history.”

Grassley accused Smith on Tuesday of having “no legitimate basis” for obtaining the financial information of donors that supported Republican groups. He suggested that obtaining such records “wasn’t necessary” for the investigation since the records were not mentioned in the former special counsel’s public report.

“Now, the Justice Department and the FBI will forever possess thousands of people’s address, phone number, bank and bank account number, bank routing number, and a copy of their true signature,” the chairman said.

“Every member of this committee ought to be outraged for what happened to their constituents. I hope my Democratic colleagues will join me in this outrage.”

In a Tuesday press release, Grassley’s office said that the financial information obtained by the federal government during Smith’s investigation affected thousands of Americans from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The records, which Grassley’s office said were “secretly subpoenaed” by Smith and his team, allegedly included donations as small as $1.

Whistleblower records showed that the checks obtained by Smith’s team were routed to former FBI Special Agent Walter Giardina, according to Grassley’s office.

To support the chairman’s statements, Grassley’s office included redacted copies of the 4,782 checks provided by whistleblowers.