Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, blasted former special prosecutor Jack Smith on Monday after a new report revealed Smith covertly tracked the phone calls and emails of Susie Wiles, now White House chief of staff, while she was co-chairing President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Lee said the revelation amounted to a “bigger scandal than Watergate” and argued Smith’s conduct should be remembered as a disgrace.
“Again: this is objectively a bigger scandal than Watergate,” Lee wrote in a Monday morning post on X. “The main difference is that the Democrat establishment & media happily look the other way when the DOJ is used to spy upon Donald Trump’s campaign chief, with no regard for the dangerous precedent set.”
Lee’s comments were attached to a post from The Daily Signal, which reported that Smith “monitored” Wiles and her communications with five journalists from outlets including CNN and the Washington Post.
According to the report, Smith also tracked Wiles’ communications with 21 defense attorneys and a number of political advisers.
The Daily Signal reported that Smith’s team gathered the information using a pen register, also known as a trap-and-trace device.
The outlet explained that the tool does not capture the content of conversations. Instead, it is a surveillance method that records metadata, such as the phone numbers called and the times those calls were made.
Smith began tracking Wiles in early 2023, according to the report.
The Daily Signal’s scoop comes one week after Smith faced tough questioning from Congress over his investigations into Trump.
During that hearing, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, unloaded on Smith, accusing him of leading “disgraceful” investigations that would be remembered as the “most egregious abuse of power in the history of the Department of Justice.”
With Smith seated across from him during the testimony in Washington, D.C., Cruz claimed the former prosecutor’s “witch hunt” against Trump and other Republicans was fueled by an obsession with taking down his political enemies.
Cruz also invoked former President Richard Nixon.
“Let me say congratulations, because you have succeeded where Richard Nixon failed, which is weaponizing the Department of Justice to go after your political opponents,” Cruz said. “Congratulations.”
The grilling did not appear to dampen Smith’s week.
On Saturday, Smith was spotted wearing a “No Kings” shirt at the Power to the People Festival in Maryland.
While onstage at the festival, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl gave Smith a shoutout.
“This one goes out to my new friend Jack!” Grohl called out as he launched into the song “My Hero.”
The new report on Wiles adds to the scrutiny Smith has faced from Republicans in Congress over his handling of the Trump investigations.
Lee’s post made clear he believes the tracking of Trump’s campaign co-chair sets a dangerous precedent, while accusing Democrats and the media of ignoring the matter.
The Daily Signal’s reporting details the scope of the monitoring, which, according to the outlet, reached Wiles’ contacts with journalists, defense attorneys and political advisers, all while she was helping lead Trump’s campaign.
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