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Gone quiet · last update Oct 14, 2026 / Donald Trump

Jack Smith after his prosecutions of Trump

Overview · reviewed October 28, 2026

Jack Smith, the special counsel who brought federal cases against Donald Trump over the 2020 election and classified documents, wound down both prosecutions after Trump won the 2024 election and resigned in January 2025.[1][2] His report on the election case was released, while the volume on the documents case was held back.[3][4] Since Trump's return he has faced a watchdog investigation, Republican accusations that his team collected the phone records of Republican lawmakers, and hearings in both chambers of Congress, where he has defended his work.[5][6][7][8]

Read the timeline

Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

His report on the election case was released, while the volume on the documents case was held back.[3][4] Since Trump's return he has faced a watchdog investigation, Republican accusations that his team collected the phone records of Republican lawmakers, and hearings in both chambers of Congress, where he has defended his work.[5][6][7][8]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · monthly average of weekly shares (UTC)

Apr 2024: average weekly share 3% (left 0%, center 1%, right 3%), from 1 of 1 weekMay 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJun 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJul 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksAug 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksSep 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksOct 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2024: average weekly share 3% (left 1%, center 2%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksDec 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJan 2025: average weekly share 11% (left 3%, center 5%, right 3%), from 4 of 4 weeksFeb 2025: average weekly share 2% (left under 1%, center under 1%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksApr 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJun 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJul 2025: average weekly share 4% (left 1%, center 3%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksAug 2025: average weekly share 1% (left 1%, center 1%, right under 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksSep 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksOct 2025: average weekly share 5% (left 1%, center 1%, right 2%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksDec 2025: average weekly share 5% (left 2%, center 2%, right 1%), from 5 of 5 weeksJan 2026: average weekly share 7% (left 2%, center 3%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksFeb 2026: average weekly share 3% (left 1%, center 1%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksApr 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2026: average weekly share 1% (left 1%, center under 1%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksJun 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJul 2026: average weekly share 4% (left 1%, center 1%, right 2%), from 4 of 4 weeksAug 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksSep 2026: average weekly share 3% (left 1%, center 1%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksOct 2026: average weekly share 1% (left under 1%, center under 1%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 2 of 2 weeks, so far

LeftCenterRight

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. Over more than two years each bar is a month: the average of that month's weekly shares, so the shape stays readable. The weekly table below keeps every week. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 4 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (23 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Oct 12, 2026111517 of 4764%
Oct 5, 2026001010 of 4792%
Sep 28, 202616222563 of 47613%
Jul 20, 202611192151 of 5629%
Jul 13, 2026231621 of 5594%
Jul 6, 2026001010 of 5602%
May 18, 202642410 of 1975%
Feb 23, 2026610824 of 18613%
Jan 19, 20261120738 of 17022%
Jan 12, 202643310 of 1915%
Dec 29, 202554312 of 1667%
Dec 15, 202589522 of 18712%
Dec 1, 20251258 of 1775%
Oct 20, 20251539 of 1945%
Oct 13, 20252035 of 1823%
Oct 6, 2025441220 of 18111%
Aug 25, 20254419 of 1995%
Jul 28, 2025719531 of 18717%
Feb 24, 202523712 of 1976%
Jan 13, 20251013730 of 22813%
Jan 6, 202519302170 of 22132%
Nov 11, 2024513725 of 21112%
Apr 29, 20240268 of 2373%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Oct 13, 2026 · first reported · Headline from Deseret News

    Biden DOJ obtained personal data of hundreds of thousands GOP voters and donors, top Senate Republican says

Background

After Trump's election victory in November 2024, Smith discussed with Justice Department leaders how to wind down the federal prosecutions of the president-elect.[1] The department said it would release his findings on Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election while keeping other parts of the report private.[3][9] Judge Aileen Cannon, who had dismissed the classified documents case, temporarily barred the release,[10] but an appeals court refused to block it[11] and Cannon then allowed the election volume to come out.[4][12] Smith resigned from the Justice Department effective January 10, 2025.[2] The cases themselves are followed in the arc on the federal 2020 election case and the arc on the classified documents case.

Read the full background (2 more paragraphs)

In his second term Trump ordered the suspension of security clearances at a law firm that had advised Smith,[13] and in August 2025 an independent federal watchdog that enforces the law against partisan activity by federal employees opened an investigation into him;[5] his lawyers called its premise "imaginary and unfounded."[14] In October FBI records showed that his investigators had analyzed the phone records of more than a half dozen Republican lawmakers in 2023.[6][15] Smith asked to testify publicly, but the House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed him for a closed-door interview in December,[16][17] where he said his team had found "proof beyond a reasonable doubt" that Trump committed crimes.[7] He later called Trump the "most culpable and most responsible person" in the conspiracy,[18] and he testified publicly to the committee in January 2026.[19][20]

The scrutiny grew in 2026. A former prosecutor was on charges of emailing herself confidential files from his investigation,[21] and Rep. Jim Jordan asked the Justice Department to consider charges against him after records showed what his team had accessed.[22][23] Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2026.[8][24] Afterward Sen. Bill Hagerty filed a bar complaint against him,[25] Sen. Marsha Blackburn sued him and the Justice Department over a for her phone records,[26] and newly declassified records showed the FBI had tracked the travel plans of Melania and Barron Trump before the 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago.[27]

Supporting stories (27)
  1. Special counsel Jack Smith and his team to resign before Trump takes office
  2. Special counsel Jack Smith has resigned after submitting his Trump report, Justice Department says
  3. DOJ plans to release part of Special Counsel Jack Smith report on Trump despite Judge Cannon order
  4. Judge Cannon OKs release of special counsel’s report into Trump and election subversion
  5. Ex-Trump prosecutor Jack Smith faces investigation by independent political watchdog
  6. FBI analyzed lawmakers’ phone records during Trump Jan. 6 probe, Republicans say
  7. Jack Smith defends his prosecutions of Trump in closed-door session in Congress
  8. During Senate hearing, Jack Smith defends criminal investigations of Trump
  9. Justice Department says it plans to release only part of special counsel’s Trump report for now
  10. Judge blocks release of special counsel Jack Smith’s report
  11. Appeals court denies bid to block public release of special counsel's report on Trump Jan. 6 probe
  12. Judge clears the way for release of special counsel Smith's report on Trump's 2020 election case
  13. Trump moves to suspend security clearances of lawyers at DC law firm helping Jack Smith
  14. Inquiry into former Trump prosecutor Jack Smith is based on ‘imaginary premise,’ lawyers say
  15. Former Special Counsel Jack Smith Monitored Private Communications Of Nearly A Dozen GOP Senators
  16. Former special counsel Jack Smith asks to testify publicly on Trump investigations: ‘Prepared to answer questions’
  17. Ex-special counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed by House Republicans in review of Trump probes
  18. Capitol riot ‘does not happen’ without Trump, Jack Smith told Congress
  19. Former special counsel Jack Smith to testify publicly about Trump probes
  20. Watch live: Jack Smith testifies before House Judiciary Committee
  21. Former DOJ prosecutor charged with stealing confidential Jack Smith investigation documents about Trump
  22. Documents Prove that Jack Smith Read the Private Texts of 44 Members of Congress
  23. House Republican accuses Jack Smith of lying to Congress about Trump probe
  24. Jack Smith Collected Banking Information on Thousands of Trump Supporters
  25. Sen. Hagerty Files Bar Complaint Against Jack Smith Over Arctic Frost Lawfare
  26. Senator Blackburn sues Justice Department over phone records
  27. Biden FBI tracked Melania and Barron Trump’s travel — and even tapped Susie Wiles phone, documents show

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 39 recorded updates

October 2026

  1. Jack Smith’s FBI Probe Obtained Personal Data of 640,000 Republican MAGA Hat BuyersHeadline from The Righting · 17 outlets
  2. Biden FBI tracked Melania and Barron Trump’s travel — and even tapped Susie Wiles phone, documents showHeadline from New York Post · 6 outlets
  3. Senator Blackburn sues Justice Department over phone recordsHeadline from WKRN Nashville · 1 outlet
  4. Jim Jordan renews call to prosecute Jack Smith after spying on Susie Wiles' phone records revealedHeadline from Just the News · 5 outlets

September 2026

  1. Sen. Hagerty Files Bar Complaint Against Jack Smith Over Arctic Frost LawfareHeadline from Conservative Review · 4 outlets
  2. Sen. Marsha Blackburn sues ex-Special Counsel Jack Smith, says he illegally obtained her phone recordsHeadline from New York Post · 9 outlets
  3. Eric Schmitt seems to confuse basketball teams in attempt to link Jack Smith, Fani WillisHeadline from The Hill · 20 outlets
  4. Jack Smith Collected Banking Information on Thousands of Trump SupportersHeadline from The Righting · 13 outlets
  5. During Senate hearing, Jack Smith defends criminal investigations of TrumpHeadline from PBS NewsHour · 50 outlets

July 2026

  1. House Republican accuses Jack Smith of lying to Congress about Trump probeHeadline from Anchorage Daily News · 51 outlets
  2. Documents Prove that Jack Smith Read the Private Texts of 44 Members of CongressHeadline from Renewed Right · 11 outlets
  3. Jack Smith reviewed texts from 44 lawmakers, senators sayHeadline from Bismarck Tribune · 12 outlets
  4. DOJ records reveal possible classified security lapses inside Jack Smith’s office during Trump prosecutionHeadline from Washington Examiner · 10 outlets

May 2026

  1. Former DOJ prosecutor charged with stealing confidential Jack Smith investigation documents about TrumpHeadline from Fox26 Houston · 11 outlets

February 2026

  1. Judge blocks release of special counsel Jack Smith's report on Trump classified documents caseHeadline from Los Angeles Times · 25 outlets

January 2026

  1. Watch live: Jack Smith testifies before House Judiciary CommitteeHeadline from Fox32 Chicago · 10 outlets
  2. Jack Smith defends investigations into Trump during House Judiciary Committee hearingHeadline from FOX 35 Orlando · 34 outlets
  3. Former special counsel Jack Smith to testify publicly about Trump probesHeadline from NBC Chicago · 10 outlets

December 2025

  1. Capitol riot ‘does not happen’ without Trump, Jack Smith told CongressHeadline from Las Vegas Review-Journal · 12 outlets
  2. Jack Smith set for private interview with lawmakers about Trump investigationsHeadline from Bangor Daily News · 8 outlets
  3. Jack Smith defends his prosecutions of Trump in closed-door session in CongressHeadline from NPR · 16 outlets
  4. Ex-special counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed by House Republicans in review of Trump probesHeadline from New York Post · 8 outlets

October 2025

  1. Former special counsel Jack Smith asks to testify publicly on Trump investigations: ‘Prepared to answer questions’Headline from New York Post · 9 outlets
  2. House Republicans seek testimony from ex-Trump prosecutor Jack SmithHeadline from Los Angeles Times · 5 outlets
  3. FBI analyzed lawmakers’ phone records during Trump Jan. 6 probe, Republicans sayHeadline from The Hill · 11 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →