The senators argued that the move represented a politically driven abuse of power, framing it as further evidence of the Biden administration targeting political opponents. Democrats on the committee, meanwhile, pressed Bondi on former President Donald Trump’s alleged efforts to pressure the Justice Department into pursuing his political adversaries. But Republicans shifted the focus, saying the real scandal was the Justice Department’s conduct under Biden.

The controversy centers on an internal FBI document made public by Republicans, which revealed that investigators had collected so-called “toll records” — metadata showing who lawmakers called, who called them, and when — in September 2023. That step came shortly after Smith indicted Trump on charges of conspiracy and obstruction related to the Capitol attack.

The records did not include the contents of any conversations, which would have required a court-approved wiretap, but their collection still infuriated GOP senators.
Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the committee’s Republican chairman, denounced the move as politically motivated “spying,” arguing there was no legitimate reason to examine the communications of sitting lawmakers. He said the inquiry represented a dangerous overreach by federal authorities, describing it as part of a broader pattern of partisan interference within the Justice Department.

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, whose phone records were among those obtained, delivered one of the hearing’s most fiery moments. “Can you tell me why my phone records were sought by Jack Smith’s agents?” Graham demanded of Bondi. “Why did they want to know who I called and what I was doing from January 4th to the 7th?” He pressed Bondi to say whether she viewed the move as an abuse of power, though she declined to give a direct answer.
Bondi did, however, criticize Smith’s handling of the broader Trump investigation, accusing him of wasting “$50 million” in an unsuccessful attempt to imprison the former president. Her remarks drew applause from several Republican members and renewed claims that the Justice Department had been weaponized against conservatives.

Another senator reportedly affected by the phone data collection, Josh Hawley of Missouri, went further, wrongly asserting that the FBI had wiretapped his communications. “The FBI tapped my phone,” he shouted during the hearing, though officials later clarified that no such wiretapping had occurred — only metadata analysis.

Despite their anger, Republican senators have not yet committed to subpoenaing Jack Smith to testify before Congress about the phone records. Senator Grassley said the committee would instead allow FBI Director Kash Patel to conduct an internal review. Bondi, when pressed on whether her department was investigating the matter, said she could not confirm or deny the existence of an ongoing inquiry.

The dispute has deepened partisan tensions over how the Justice Department has handled politically sensitive cases in recent years. While Republicans portray the collection of phone records as evidence of bias and misuse of power, legal experts note that analyzing such metadata is a standard part of many federal investigations.

Nonetheless, the episode has become another flashpoint in the ongoing battle between the Biden administration and congressional Republicans over the boundaries of justice and politics in Washington.