“Donald Trump’s puppet DOJ has no business screwing around with next month’s election,” Newsom posted on Friday in response to news theDOJ plans to send federal election watchers to California and New Jersey for their closely watched elections next month.

“Sending the feds into California polling places is a deliberate attempt to scare off voters and undermine a fair election. We will not back down. Californians decide our future — no one else.”

Many on social media, including DOJ Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, quickly pointed out that the Justice Department has a long history of sending election monitoring resources to areas that have a history of issues to ensure election laws are being followed.

NEWSOM THREATENS TO SUE IF TRUMP SENDS TROOPS TO SAN FRANCISCO: ‘WANNABE TYRANT’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom during a bill-signing event related to redrawing the state’s congressional maps Aug. 21, 2025. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

“Lol calm down bro,” Dhillonposted on X. “The@TheJusticeDept under Democrat administrations has sent in federal election observers for decades, and not once did we hear that this was voter intimidation from states such as California. Do you really want to go there? Isn’t transparency a good thing?”

Dr. Houman Hemmatiposted on X, “Hey @GavinNewsom WHY would any legitimate voter be “scared off” by having federal election observers? Most people think legitimate voters would be more likely to vote because they’d trust the process.

“But clearly you’re afraid of something. I wonder what that is…”

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican candidate for governor in California to replace the term-limited Newsom, wrote on X, “Gavin sure seems worried about people seeing how he’s handling elections.”

The Republican parties in both California and New Jersey requested the federal observers as California votes on a ballot measure aimed at redrawing the state’s congressional map in favor of Democrats to counter states like Texas that have redrawn its map favoring Republicans. New Jersey votes in a highly watched gubernatorial election.

NEWSOM BAILS OUT PLANNED PARENTHOOD WITH $140M TO KEEP 100 CLINICS OPEN AFTER TRUMP CUTS

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon arrives for a news conference at the Justice Department Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The Department of Justice sent election monitors to California twice during the Biden administration, during the2022 general election and the2024 general election.

“This is not a federal election,” Newsom’s press officeposted on X. “The US DOJ has no business or basis to interfere with this election. This is solely about whether California amends our state constitution.

“This administration has made no secret of its goal to undermine free and fair elections. Deploying these federal forces appears to be an intimidation tactic meant for one thing: suppress the vote.”

DUFFY TELLS NEWSOM ‘3 MORE PEOPLE WOULD BE ALIVE’ IF HE FOLLOWED FEDERAL TRUCK LICENSING RULES

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks in San Francisco Aug. 7, 2025.  (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Biden Justice Department sent election resources to several non-federal elections as well, includingAlaska municipal elections in October 2023, aNew Jersey off-year general election in 2023 and aMississippi off-year general in 2023.

Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office for comment.

“In recent elections, we have received reports of irregularities in these counties that we fear will undermine either the willingness of voters to participate in the election or their confidence in the announced results of the election,” California GOP Chairwoman Corrin Rankin wrote in a letter to Dhillon on Monday.

The New Jersey GOP sent a similar letter about Passaic County, which is heavily Latino and once favored Democrats but voted for Trump in 2024.

The state GOP alleged a “long and sordid history” of vote-by-mail fraud.

Democrats in both states have pushed back against the decision.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin called the move “highly inappropriate” and said the DOJ “has not even attempted to identify a legitimate basis for its actions.”

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Voters make selections at their voting booths inside an early voting site. (Melissa Sue Gerrits)

Los Angeles County Clerk Dean Logan said election observers are standard practice across the country and that the county, with 5.8 million registered voters, is continuously updating and verifying its voter records.

“Voters can have confidence their ballot is handled securely and counted accurately,” he said.

During the 2024 election, multiple Republican-led states pushed back on the Biden administration’s efforts to send federal resources to monitor elections, arguing the state measures in place were satisfactory.

Election monitors are lawyers who work for the Justice Department, including in the civil rights division and U.S. attorney’s offices across the country. They are not law enforcement officers or federal agents.

For decades, the Justice Department’s civil rights division has sent attorneys and staff members to monitor polling places across the country in both federal and non-federal elections. The monitors are tasked with ensuring compliance with federal voting rights laws.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division enforces a number of statutes protecting the right to vote. That includes the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits intimidation and threats against those who are casting ballots or counting votes. And it includes the Americans with Disabilities Act, which mandates that election officials ensure people with disabilities have the full and equal opportunity to vote.

Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson and The Associated Press contributed to this report

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

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Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a letter Smith’s attorneys sent to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley Thursday afternoon, after both panels signaled interest in testimony from the former special counsel.

EXCLUSIVE: JACK SMITH TRACKED PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS, CALLS OF NEARLY A DOZEN GOP SENATORS DURING J6 PROBE, FBI SAYS

“Given the many mischaracterizations of Mr. Smith’s investigation into President Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents and role in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Mr. Smith respectfully requests the opportunity to testify in open hearings before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees,” Smith attorneys Lanny Breuer and Peter Koski wrote.

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith is requesting to testify in open, public hearings before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“During the investigation of President Trump, Mr. Smith steadfastly adhered to established legal standards and Department of Justice guidelines, consistent with his approach throughout his career as a dedicated public servant,” they wrote.

“He is prepared to answer questions about the Special Counsel’s investigation and prosecution, but requires assurance from the Department of Justice that he will not be punished for doing so,” they continued. “To that end, Mr. Smith needs guidance from the Department of Justice regarding federal grand jury secrecy requirements and authorization on the matters he may speak to regarding, among other things, Volume II of the Final Report of the Special Counsel, which is not publicly available.”

Smith’s attorneys also noted that in order to provide “full and accurate answers to your questions, Mr. Smith requires access to the Special Counsel files, which he no longer has the ability to access.”

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, leaves the Republican caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Oct. 12, 2023.  (Jose Luis Magana/The Associated Press )

JACK SMITH DEFENDS SUBPOENAING REPUBLICAN SENATORS’ PHONE RECORDS: ‘ENTIRELY PROPER’

“With the guidance and access described above, Mr. Smith is available to testify in an open hearing at your earliest convenience,” they wrote.

A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Smith’s attorneys are planning to officially seek guidance from the Department of Justice on the matter.

The letter from Smith’s attorneys comes after Jordan, R-Ohio, requested Smith appear for a closed-door transcribed interview and provide all records from his work related to President Donald Trump.

Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, speaks during a hearing in Washington, Sept. 16, 2025.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The letter also comes after Grassley, R-Iowa, and nearly two dozen Senate Republicans demanded that the Department of Justice and FBI release documents on Smith’s decision to subpoena telecommunications companies for phone records of a number of Senate Republicans during his probe into Jan. 6, 2021.

Fox News Digital exclusively reported earlier in October that Smith tracked the private communications and phone calls of GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and GOP Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania as part of his “Arctic Frost” investigation.

An official said the records were collected in 2023 by Smith and his team after subpoenaing major telephone providers.

FBI Director Kash Patel shakes hands with Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa during a Senate Judiciary hearing on Sept. 16, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

An FBI official told Fox News Digital that Smith and his team tracking the senators were able to see which phone numbers they called, the location the phone call originated and the location where it was received.

A source said the calls were likely in reference to the vote to certify the 2020 election.

Smith, though, called his decision to subpoena several Republican lawmakers’ phone records “entirely proper” and consistent with Justice Department policy.

“As described by various Senators, the toll data collection was narrowly tailored and limited to the four days from January 4, 2021 to January 7, 2021, with a focus on telephonic activity during the period immediately surrounding the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol,” Smith’s lawyers wrote Tuesday to Grassley.

Former Attorney General Merrick Garland, President Donald Trump and Special Counsel Jack Smith.  (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images | Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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Smith was appointed special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022.

Smith, after months of investigating, charged Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request.

Smith’s case cost taxpayers more than $50 million.

“Jack Smith certainly has a lot of answering to do, but first, Congress needs to have all the facts at its disposal,” Grassley told Fox News Digital Thursday. “Hearings should follow once the investigative foundation has been firmly set, which is why I’m actively working with the DOJ and FBI to collect all relevant records that Mr. Smith has had years to become familiar with.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Jordan for comment and has yet to receive a reply.

Fox News’ Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.

Brooke Singman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.

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The letter, addressed to Gov. Gavin Newsom; state Attorney General Rob Bonta; Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; and San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, stressed that federal agents and officers are carrying out lawful duties, and any interference by state or local officials is both “illegal and futile.”

The letter was sent after Pelosi, the former House Speaker, and Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-Calif., issued a statement Wednesday threatening to arrest federal agents if they break California law.

If convicted, the Democrats noted, President Donald Trump cannot pardon agents.

The DOJ warned former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., against prosecuting federal agents enforcing immigration law. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

NANCY PELOSI ERUPTS WHEN ASKED BY CNN’S JAKE TAPPER ABOUT ALLEGATIONS OF INSIDER TRADING

“Reports of a planned mass immigration raid in the Bay Area are an appalling abuse of law enforcement power,” Pelosi and Mullin wrote in the statement. “While the President may enjoy absolute immunity courtesy of his rogue Supreme Court, those who operate under his orders do not. … The people of San Francisco will continue to stand with the patriotic immigrants who are the constant reinvigoration of America.”

Blanche shared his response in an X post, writing, “We just sent them a letter: Stand down or face prosecution. No one threatens our agents. No one will stop us from Making America Safe Again.”

PELOSI DODGES WHEN ASKED IF VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE WHO FANTASIZED ABOUT SHOOTING REPUBLICAN SHOULD DROP OUT

The letter cites several federal statutes that criminalize assaulting, impeding or conspiring against federal officers, and notes the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution dictates state officials cannot prosecute federal agents for actions taken in the course of their duties.

Blanche directed California leaders to “preserve all written and electronic communications and records related to any attempts or efforts to impede or obstruct federal law enforcement officials,” forewarning that the Department of Justice will investigate and prosecute any official who violates federal statutes.

Federal agents walk outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles Aug. 14. (Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

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“We urge you and other California officials to publicly abandon this apparent criminal conspiracy, to stop threatening law enforcement, and to prioritize the safety of your citizens,” Blanche wrote.

Pelosi’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Alexandra Koch is a Fox News Digital journalist who covers breaking news, with a focus on high-impact events that shape national conversation.

She has covered major national crises, including the L.A. wildfires, Potomac and Hudson River aviation disasters, Boulder terror attack, and Texas Hill Country floods.

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James’ arraignment is the latest in a string of prosecutions brought against the president’s perceived political foes, despite objections from career prosecutors — some of whom have since been fired or resigned.

James was indicted on two federal counts of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.

The indictment stems from her 2020 purchase of a home in Norfolk, Virginia, where prosecutors allege that she misled a bank about the nature of the residence in order to obtain more favorable loan conditions.

DOJ SEEKS REMOVAL OF COMEY’S DEFENSE LAWYER, CITING CONFLICT OF INTEREST

President Donald Trump (R) walks with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi (L) during a visit to the Justice Department Mar. 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

James, for her part, has vehemently denied wrongdoing, and is expected to plead not guilty.

“This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system,” James said in a statement after she was indicted.

“These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost,” she added.

Her indictment, like the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, was presented to a grand jury by former White House aide Lindsey Halligan, whom President Donald Trump installed as the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia last month.

Trump, in September, said he would install Halligan as the top prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia, replacing interim attorney Erik Siebert, who resigned under pressure to indict both Comey and James.

FBI AGENTS SUE TRUMP DOJ TO BLOCK ANY PUBLIC IDENTIFICATION OF EMPLOYEES WHO WORKED ON JAN. 6 INVESTIGATIONS

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference, Sept. 21, 2022, in New York.   (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman, File)

James’ indictment, like Comey’s, has touched off intense backlash and concerns of weaponization within the Justice Department’s ranks during Trump’s second presidential term.

Both cases have both sparked the resignations or firings of several career officials in the Eastern District of Virginia, including in the Norfolk office, where two assistant U.S. attorneys were fired for reportedly voicing opposition to bringing James’ case.

Halligan will be joined in court Friday by a Missouri-based federal prosecutor, Roger Keller, according to court filings.

James’ defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, told the court they have retained the services of Andrew Bosse, a former assistant U.S. attorney based in Norfolk who formerly headed up the office’s criminal division.

The case against James comes after she successfully brought a civil fraud case against Trump last year.

After the arraignment, it is likely that she will file a motion to dismiss her case for vindictive and selective prosecution, following similar steps taken by Comey’s legal team in Alexandria earlier this week.

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Lowell, her attorney, has described the case against her as “improper political retribution,” and vowed they would “fight these charges in every process allowed in the law.”

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Fox News’s request for comment on the case, or whether Halligan or Keller wouldbe joined by any other federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI and other national news. She previously covered national politics at the Washington Examiner and The Washington Post, with additional bylines in Politico Magazine, the Colorado Gazette and others. You can send tips to Breanne at Breanne.Deppisch@fox.com, or follow her on X at @breanne_dep.

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A federal jury convicted Muhammad Pahlawan June 5, 2025, of conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists and to Iran’s weapons of mass destruction program, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He was also found guilty of conspiring to transport explosive devices to the Houthis, knowing they would be used to cause harm, and of threatening his crew.

According to court records, U.S. Central Command Navy forces operating from the USS Lewis B. Puller — including Navy SEALs and members of the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team East — boarded a small vessel Jan. 11.

The boarding team encountered 14 people on the vessel, including Pahlawan. During the search, they seized Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry, including ballistic missile components, anti-ship cruise missile components and a warhead.

PENTAGON SEEKS TRUMP APPROVAL FOR FIRST US MILITARY EXECUTION IN 60 YEARS FOLLOWING FORT HOOD MASS SHOOTING

Some of the weaponry and components found in the smugglers’ vessel. The Department of Justice said the materials were consistent with what Iranian-backed Houthi rebels use in merchant and U.S. military attacks.  (Department of Justice)

The DOJ said the type of weaponry found on the vessel was consistent with arms used by Houthi rebel forces targeting merchant and U.S. military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

Pahlawan lied to the boarding team and told other crew members to lie, threatening their lives and the lives of their families.

Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers, left, and Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram went missing during a nighttime boarding mission off the coast of Somalia.  (U.S. Navy)

Two Navy SEALs — Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers and Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram — died during the encounter. The DOJ said Ingram began climbing a ladder onto the boat when he slipped and fell into a gap created by waves between the vessel and the SEAL watercraft.

US STRIKES ANOTHER ALLEGED DRUG-TRAFFICKING BOAT NEAR VENEZUELA, KILLING 4

As Ingram went under, Chambers jumped into the gap to try and save him.

Four foreign nationals were charged Thursday with transporting suspected Iranian-made weapons on a vessel intercepted by U.S. naval forces in the Arabian Sea last month.  (Department of Justice)

The DOJ said the Navy conducted an extensive search to find and rescue the SEALs, but they were declared dead Jan. 22.

Pahlawan’s trip that day was part of a larger operation, the DOJ added, explaining that from August 2023 through January 2024, he worked with two Iranian brothers — Shahab Mir’kazei and Yunus Mir’kazei — affiliated with the IRGC to smuggle materials from Iran to recipients, including Houthi rebel forces in Yemen.

4 CHARGED AFTER SEIZURE OF SUSPECTED IRANIAN-MADE WEAPONS IN VESSEL THAT LED TO DEATHS OF 2 NAVY SEALS: DOJ

A warhead found on board the vessel allegedly smuggling Iranian-made weapons. (Department of Justice)

He completed multiple smuggling missions by carrying cargo from Iran to the coast of Somalia, where he transferred it to another vessel during nighttime ship-to-ship operations, the DOJ said.

Pahlawan also worked with Shahab and Yunus to prepare the vessel for multiple smuggling missions, obtained coordinates from them for ship-to-ship transfers and was paid for his role in the operation.

On Feb. 11, 2024, the U.S. secured arrest warrants for four of the foreign nationals, identified as Pahlawan, Mohammad Mazhar, Ghufran Ullah and Izhar Muhammad.

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The four men, who were found with Pakistani identification cards, were transferred from the USS Lewis B. Fuller to the Eastern District of Virginia.

Mazhar, Ullah and Muhammad were also charged with providing materially false information to U.S. Coast Guard officers during the boarding of the vessel regarding the vessel’s crew and/or cargo.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.

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Terry Rozier, the DOJ says, was directly involved in one of them, while Damon Jones is said to have given information about two Los Angeles Lakers games when he was an assistant coach for the team.

Rozier’s alleged involvement came through a game on March 23, 2023, when he told a childhood friend, Deniro Laster, that he would take himself out of a game early, citing an injury, so Laster could place wagers based on the information. Neither Hornets officials nor betting companies were made aware of Rozier’s plan, according to the indictment, and Rozier was not listed on the team’s injury report.

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General view of the Charlotte Hornets as the national anthem is being sung by Mister Kim before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Terry Rozier played just nine minutes in this game. (Stephen Lew/USA Today Sports)

Laster then allegedly sold that information to other co-conspirators, and numerous people placed wagers totaling roughly $200,000 on Rozier’s “under” prop bets to hit in both parlay and straight wagers. After Rozier played just nine minutes and never returned, the bets won. Rozier and Laster counted cash winnings at Rozier’s home in Charlotte roughly a week later, the indictment says.

As far as Jones goes, he is alleged to have told someone close to him that a “prominent” player on the Lakers would not play on Feb. 9, 2023, before the information was public.

“Get a big bet on [the] Milwaukee [Bucks] tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight. Bet enough so Djones can eat to [sic] now!!!,” Jones allegedly texted a friend.

The DOJ says the player was eventually ruled out with a lower-body injury — LeBron James did not play that night due to an ankle injury that kept him out for two more games. The game in question took place two days after James scored 38 points to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

LeBron James (23) talks with Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue (not pictured) and former teammate Damon Jones, center, during an off-day practice before the Golden State Warriors played the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on Tuesday, June 6, 2017.  (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

NBA LEGEND CHAUNCEY BILLUPS, HEAT’S TERRY ROZIER ARRESTED AS PART OF FBI GAMBLING PROBE

Jones also gave apparent inside information about another “one of the Lakers’ best players” 11 months later regarding an injury that was likely to affect his performance, which ultimately backfired as the player “performed well” and the Lakers won.

Another game the DOJ mentioned was a Portland Trail Blazers–Chicago Bulls matchup on March 24, 2023, the day after Rozier played nine minutes, where a co-conspirator, “an NBA coach at the time,” allegedly told a longtime friend, who is also a defendant in the rigged poker scheme, that the Blazers would be “tanking” that night for a better draft pick and would sit some of the team’s best players. The resting of the players had not yet been public information.

The team’s top four scorers, including Damian Lillard, all did not play that night, as co-conspirators allegedly wagered more than $100,000 total against Portland.

The co-conspirator in question is listed as a former NBA player whose career spanned from “approximately 1997 through 2014” and “an NBA coach since at least 2021.” Only Chauncey Billups, also a defendant in the poker case, fits that criterion. Billups is not named as a defendant in the sports betting case, which remains an ongoing investigation.

On April 6, 2023, a defendant was given inside information through a connection to a then-Orlando Magic player, the indictment reads.

“A co-conspirator leveraged a relationship with the Magic player to learn that several of the team’s top players would sit out a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers — information that had not yet been made public. The co-conspirator relayed the tip to [a defendant], who placed an approximately $11,000 bet that the Cavaliers would outperform the point spread. When the lineup change was later confirmed and the Cavaliers went on to beat the Magic by 24 points, [the defendant] and the co-conspirator pocketed the winnings,” the DOJ said.

The two other games mentioned by the DOJ are the ones that Jontay Porter took himself out of early in order for under props to hit. Porter has been banned for life by the NBA and is currently facing nearly four years in prison.

Jontay Porter #34 of the Toronto Raptors drives to the basket during the game against the Detroit Pistons on March 13, 2024, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.  (Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Rozier and Jones were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The NBA announced that Rozier and Billups were placed on immediate leave from their teams, “and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities.”

“The integrity of our game remains our top priority,” the NBA said.

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Grassley posted the four-page memorandum on X, saying it proves top Biden administration officials “personally approved” the case — which he referred to as “Arctic Frost” — and that it “unleashed unchecked government power at the highest levels.”

The Iowa Republican added, “My oversight will continue.”

The April 2022 memo, signed by Garland, Monaco and Wray, authorized the FBI’s Washington Field Office to open what the bureau designated a “Sensitive Investigative Matter.” The document details the FBI’s request to examine whether individuals connected to Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign conspired to obstruct Congress’ certification of the Electoral College on Jan. 6, 2021.

TOP GOP SENATOR DEMANDS PROBE INTO WHETHER JACK SMITH ‘UNLAWFULLY’ TRIED TO INFLUENCE 2024 ELECTION

“Following the 2020 Presidential and Vice Presidential election, in an apparent effort to obstruct Congress’s certification of Electoral College, fraudulent certificates of electors’ votes were submitted to the Archivist of the United States, purporting to represent the actual elector votes from the states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin,” the executive summary reads. “Open source reporting and public statements made by individuals closely associated with Donald J. Trump, Inc. (Trump Campaign) present an articulable factual basis indicating the existence of a federal crime, and thus the FBI seeks to open a full investigation.

“Because this investigation involves a SIM as set forth in the Department of Justice memorandum dated February 5, 2020, entitled ‘Additional Requirements for Opening of Certain Sensitive Investigations’ (DOJ Memo), your authorization is required before WFO may initiate this full investigation,” the document continued.

Monaco wrote at the bottom of the document, “Merrick- I recommend you approve,” before initialing and dating it “4/5/22.” Garland ultimately signed off on the investigation on the same day.

DEM REP DEFENDS DOJ OBTAINING GOP SENATOR CALL RECORDS IN 2023: ‘YOU WEREN’T SURVEILLED’

Sen. Chuck Grassley released a memo from former FBI Director Christopher Wray to former Attorney General Merrick Garland to open an investigation into the Trump campaign in April 2022, for allegedly attempting to interfere with Congress’ certification of the 2020 election. (Samuel Corum-Pool, Anna Moneymaker and Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images)

The authorization came more than a year after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and months before now-former special counsel Jack Smith was appointed to oversee related investigations. The memo appears to document an early stage of the Justice Department’s examination of the so-called “fake electors” effort that became a focus of Smith’s probe.

In 2023, Smith subpoenaed phone records belonging to eight Republican senators and one House member, covering a four-day period — Jan. 4 to Jan. 7, 2021 — to examine call activity around the Capitol riot. The subpoenas did not seek call content but instead listed numbers, dates and durations.

The targeted senators included Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

FBI FIRES AGENTS, DISMANTLES CORRUPTION SQUAD AFTER PROBE UNVEILS MONITORING OF GOP SENATORS, PATEL SAYS

Jack Smith, U.S. special counsel, speaks during a news conference in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In addition to the eight senators, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Tuesday that he recently discovered Smith also attempted to subpoena his toll records but that his phone company, AT&T, did not hand them over.

Smith said the records were narrowly tailored and “entirely proper,” adding they were meant to support his investigation into Trump’s alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election results.

Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, speaks during a hearing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

His lawyers wrote to Grassley, saying the subpoenas complied with Justice Department policy and were routine.

Republicans have broadly claimed they were inappropriately spied on and compared Arctic Frost to the Watergate scandal. Smith’s lawyers emphasized the normalcy of seeking phone records and said public officials are not immune from investigation.

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Smith’s attorneys also disputed accusations from FBI Director Kash Patel that the subpoenas were hidden, noting the requests were referenced in a footnote of Smith’s final report and shared with Trump’s defense team in discovery.

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.

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In September, former FBI Director James Comey, known for misusing his power against the president, was indicted for lying to Congress. I’ve been arguing for five years that Comey’s actions should be examined carefully, including the possibility of criminal misconduct.

In analyzing the prosecution of Comey, it’s important to review the facts that led to this moment. In July 2016, Comey’s FBI opened Crossfire Hurricane, a counterintelligence operation centered around whether Trump was colluding with Russia during his campaign. The genesis for this theory largely stemmed from the Steele Dossier prepared by Christopher Steele, who we now know was hired on behalf of the Clinton campaign.

HOW JAMES COMEY’S INDICTMENT COULD GO SOUTH FOR THE DOJ

Within a month of opening Crossfire Hurricane, Comey attended a meeting at the White House where then-CIA Director John Brennan briefed then-President Barack Obama, then-Vice President Joe Biden and other high-ranking officials on credible intelligence suggesting then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s campaign may have been behind the narrative that Trump was colluding with the Russians. A few weeks later, Comey also received a memo from the intelligence community supporting the idea that the Clinton campaign signed off on an effort to link Trump to Russia.

Former FBI Director James Comey is drawn in a courtroom sketch during his October 8, 2025, arraignment in Virginia. (Federal Court, sketch artist Dana Verkouteren)

Fast-forward to January 2017, the Russian subsource who provided the information for the Steele Dossier told the FBI that the information in the dossier was unreliable and nothing but hearsay. Despite this interview, Comey and others continued to apply for warrants against Carter Page, an official adviser to the Trump campaign.

One would think that alarm bells would go off in the FBI when the man primarily responsible for creating the document used to get a warrant in the FISA court had recanted the authenticity of the document. Apparently, this bombshell revelation in the bureau’s most high-profile investigation sat in the bowels of the FBI and never made it to Comey. I find that hard to believe.

TRUMP SAYS COMEY ‘PLACED A CLOUD OVER THE ENTIRE NATION’ WITH CROSSFIRE HURRICANE, REACTS TO INDICTMENT

At that time, the FBI clearly possessed exculpatory information exonerating Trump. Despite the fact that the DOJ and FBI have a duty to share exculpatory information and evidence that might undercut the reliability of a warrant application with the FISA court, they never did.

In 2020, Comey testified during a hearing I called as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee that he was never informed of the dossier’s lack of credibility and that the intelligence reports indicating the Clinton campaign was behind the Russia narrative did not “ring any bells.” I had a hard time then — as I do now—believing that the former FBI director was telling the truth.

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The other matter to consider is the Biden Justice Department’s persecution of Trump. Three days after he announced he would seek the White House in 2024, the Biden DOJ appointed Jack Smith as special counsel.

Within nine months of launching his campaign, Trump was indicted on 91 criminal counts across four separate jurisdictions—two of which were started by Smith. It is my firm belief that if Trump had decided not to seek the presidency in 2024, none of this would have happened. Many Americans agree with me that these indictments were politically motivated and that Smith was not a fair arbiter of the law.

COMEY INDICTMENT SPARKS FIERCE POLITICAL REACTIONS NATIONWIDE

It has been the DOJ’s long-standing policy to not charge political candidates before Election Day to avoid the appearance of impropriety. However, Smith obliterated this policy. Within a month before the 2024 election, Smith was allowed to publicly release a brief containing his own version of the evidence against Trump, and he was even allowed to release an unredacted version two weeks before the election.

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Smith not only went after Trump but also his allies in Congress. During their investigation, agents working for Smith obtained records from the phone calls I—as well as eight of my colleagues—made between Jan. 4-7, 2021. At that time, I was the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. These actions are an egregious violation of the Constitution’s separation of powers and should concern every American, regardless of their politics.

The common theme between Comey and Smith is that they cut corners and ignored procedures in their pursuit of Trump. Comey disregarded evidence exonerating Trump during Crossfire Hurricane, and Smith released damaging information about him just weeks before the 2024 election. These misguided investigations resulted in numerous indictments, flooded the media with negative stories about Trump and wasted millions of taxpayer dollars.

COMEY INDICTED FOR ALLEGED FALSE STATEMENT, OBSTRUCTION OF CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDING

Fortunately, the American people saw through these examples of weaponization by the DOJ and FBI, but Comey, Smith and others still inflicted great damage on our country. Their misconduct eroded trust in our institutions and threatened the Constitution’s fundamental principle of equal justice under law.

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These abuses by Comey and Smith come along with numerous other examples of Democratic administrations targeting conservatives, including the RNC, parents attending school board meetings, Americans going to church, the America First Policy Institute, among others. When you hear Republicans say the law has been weaponized against President Trump and his supporters, at least have some understanding of why we feel that way. To suggest otherwise defies reality and common sense.

I will join my Republican colleagues and fellow Americans in refusing to be intimidated. We will keep pushing to hold accountable those who were responsible for outrageous abuses of power in an effort to destroy all things Trump.

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Republican Lindsey Graham represents South Carolina in the United States Senate.

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In the Oval Office, a reporter asked Trump if he was seeking compensation from the DOJ over past federal investigations into him and, if so, how much he was seeking.

“Well, I guess they probably owe me a lot of money for that,” Trump said in response. “No, I get no salary. I gave up my salary. It’s a good salary. Not as much as these guys make, but that’s OK. It’s a lot of money, and I don’t, as you know, I didn’t take it in the first four years. I didn’t take it these four years either.”

“But as far as all of the litigation, everything that’s been involved, yeah, they probably owe me a lot of money,” the president added. “But if I get money from our country, I’ll do something nice with it. Like, give it to charity or give it to the White House while we restore the White House, and we’re doing a great job with the White House, as you know, the ballroom is under construction.”

TRUMP ADMIN AGENCIES COORDINATING TO EXPOSE BIDEN ADMIN’S ‘PROLIFIC AND DANGEROUS’ WEAPONIZATION OF GOVERNMENT

President Donald Trump gestures as he hosts a Rose Garden Club lunch at the White House in Washington, D.C., Oct. 21, 2025.  (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

The New York Times reported sources as saying Trump is seeking approximately $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for investigations into him.

Trump told reporters Tuesday that he was “not looking for money,” but that they “would have to ask the lawyers about that.”

“We’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “We have numerous cases having to do with the fraud of the election, the 2020 election, and because of everything that we found out, I guess they owe me a lot of money. But I’m not looking for money. I’m looking for — really, I think it’s got to be, it’s got to be handled in a proper way… We don’t want it to happen again. We can never let what happened in the 2020 election happen again. We just can’t let that happen.”

He was later pressed again about the exact dollar amount in the request and said, “I don’t know what the number is. I don’t even talk to them about it.”

Trump then remarked that the decision would have to come across his desk, saying that it would be “awfully strange to make a decision where I’m paying myself.”

“In other words, did you ever have one of those cases where you have to decide how much you’re paying yourself in damages?” Trump said. “But I was damaged very greatly. And any money that I would get, I would give to charity.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks as President Donald Trump looks on during a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House on Oct. 15, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The Times noted that the DOJ’s rules state that settlement claims against the department that exceed $4 million “must be approved by the Deputy Attorney General, or Associate Attorney General, as appropriate.”

It is unclear where the claims or negotiations with the DOJ stand. However, The Associated Press noted that the ties between Trump and those authorized to make a decision on the settlement could present problems.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche served as one of Trump’s attorneys in the Mar-a-Lago case. Additionally, Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward represented Trump’s co-defendant, Walt Nauta, in the Mar-a-Lago case.

“In any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials,” DOJ spokesperson Chad Gilmartin said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

TRUMP CELEBRATES WHITE HOUSE DEMOLITION AS NEW BALLROOM RISES: ‘MUSIC TO MY EARS’

The investigations include the FBI’s 2022 raid of Mar-a-Lago as part of the classified documents case and another probe looking into possible ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. According to the Times, the first claim was filed in late 2023 and was in relation to the Russia probe, while the second — which focused on the Mar-a-Lago raid — was filed in the summer of 2024.

The Times reported Tuesday that Trump had submitted complaints through an administrative claim process, noting that it is something that often precedes lawsuits.

President Donald Trump during a bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday, April 7, 2025. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Despite the president saying that he would donate the funds, some Democrats painted the report as an example of Trump trying to enrich himself.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said on Wednesday morning that the president was looking “to line his own pockets, or he says now to give to a charity of his choice.” The senator added to the accusation, saying Trump was “focusing on getting $230 million that he doesn’t deserve back into his pocket instead of helping the American people get healthcare.”

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Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who was in the middle of an hours-long speech, slammed Trump for “suing the government, then instructing his Department of Justice to settle the suit, thereby translating money into the president’s pocket out of the government.”

Merkley then remarked that “there is no limit to the self-serving” and called for his colleagues, particularly Republicans, to speak out against the president.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

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