Senate Republicans plan to begin confirmation hearings before Inauguration Day
Senate Majority Whip-elect John Barrasso, R-Wyo., joins 'America Reports' to discuss Republican priorities as President-elect Trump makes his return to the White House.
Top Republican senators are telling officials in the Department of Justice to ensure that all records concerning the investigation into President-elect Trump by Special Counsel Jack Smith are preserved ahead of the new administration.
"[C]onsidering the Justice Department’s past destruction of federal records relevant to congressional oversight and political bias infecting its decision-making process, we request that you preserve all records related to the Justice Department’s criminal investigations of former President Trump by Special Counsel Smith," wrote Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., in a letter to Smith, Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, left, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., right, instructed the DOJ to preserve records from Special Counsel Jack Smith's cases. (Reuters)
"The improper conduct of the past cannot be repeated in this matter; therefore, all records must be preserved so that Congress can perform an objective and independent review."
Smith led federal investigations into Trump's possession of classified documents and federal election interference before introducing charges.
After Trump decisively won the presidential election last week against Vice President Kamala Harris, Smith filed a motion to vacate all deadlines in the 2020 election interference case against Trump, which was widely expected.
MATT GAETZ FACES GOP SENATE OPPOSITION AFTER TRUMP SELECTION FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL
The case has not yet been officially dropped, but Smith claimed his team plans to give an updated report on its official status on Dec. 2.
Smith also filed a motion in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to halt his previous request to appeal the classified documents case after it was dismissed by U.S. Judge Aileen Cannon.
THUNE WINS SECRET BALLOT TO BECOME NEW SENATE GOP LEADER, SUCCEEDING MCCONNELL
President-elect Trump was the subject of two indictments from Smith. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Grassley and Johnson noted in their correspondence that in 2020, released DOJ records revealed that cellphones of multiple people on then-Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team were "wiped" for various reasons during its probe into Trump.
According to the records at the time, the devices were wiped of information because of forgotten passcodes, irreparable screen damage, loss of the device, intentional deletion or other reasons before they could be reviewed.
RICK SCOTT KNOCKED OUT OF SENATE LEADER RACE ON FIRST BALLOT AS THUNE AND CORNYN ADVANCE
Attorney General Merrick Garland. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"In addition, Senator Grassley’s oversight exposed that during the FBI’s investigation of Secretary Clinton’s mishandling of highly classified information, the FBI agreed to destroy any records that were not turned over to the investigatory team and agreed to destroy laptops associated with Secretary Clinton’s staff," Grassley and Johnson wrote.
The DOJ did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
More from Politics
Fox News Politics
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.