Is the Justice Department doing enough to hold bad actors accountable?
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley joins “The Sitdown with Alex Swoyer” to weigh in on Arctic Frost, Jack Smith, FISA and the whistleblowers he says are nothing but patriotic Americans.
[SWOYER] Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley is the longest-serving senator in the upper chamber, where he has spent his time leading the Judiciary Committee, protecting whistleblowers, combating lawfare, and reforming the federal courts. First elected in 1981 by the people of Iowa, he’s been instrumental in helping President Trump submit three new justices to the U.S. Supreme Court.
One of the things I think a lot of our readers are anxious to know about at The Washington Times is Arctic Frost. There have been allegations of Fourth Amendment violations. There’s questions, are we going to see accountability going forward? Out of all of your research, what is the most troubling thing you’ve found?
[GRASSLEY] Well, I think, first of all, it’s a perfect example that I could give other examples for the political weaponization of the government against your enemies. It’s the most perfect example. I think if you go back to it, the attempt was to make sure that not only was President Trump never president again, but that he would be ruined economically, socially and politically, and he’d end up in prison. So let’s go to the most troubling thing is how sweeping this investigation was and the issue of subpoenas to 400 different Republican entities or individuals. And by a judge, Boasberg, that should have known better.
Maybe not if it had been one or two. Maybe you could give him an out. But 400, the total amount ought to bring attention to it.
And he’s a judge. He’s got to know the Constitution. He’s got to know the Speech and Debate Clause. So at least for members of the United States Senate and House, they couldn’t do anything about anything they said anyway because of the speech and debate protection that members of Congress have. So it’s just an abuse of a special counsel. It’s ignorance on the part of the judge that participated in it. And it’s just a total denial of constitutional rights.
[SWOYER] There’s been allegations, it’s worse than Watergate. Do you think we’ll see some more criminal referrals? Do you think we’ll see more arrests?
[GRASSLEY] Well, we can refer, but I think your question would be more appropriate in regard to prosecution. And, of course, we don’t prosecute in the Congress. That’s done in the executive branch. And as one senator, I would expect that prosecution be done where these injustices have been done.
[SWOYER] Yes. And is that something with Todd Blanche? How do you expect that confirmation to go? Do you expect a lot of senators to have these types of questions for him specifically?
[GRASSLEY] Well, of course, just very recently the White House announced that they were appointing him. Now, there’s probably roughly 30 days, at least 28 days, from the time we get the paper. We haven’t had the paper. And then it can’t come before the committee until at least 28 days have passed. So I can’t predict when the papers will come up, but we’re going to move quickly on it.
I can only make a judgment based upon a year ago when he was approved as the Deputy Attorney General. Every Republican on the committee voted for him and every Republican member of the Senate voted for him. So I would expect it should be easy. But in this environment in Washington, nothing’s easy. And maybe some senators would change their mind. But I can’t make that judgment now.
[SWOYER] How has the Trump Justice Department been in terms of receiving your criminal referrals?
[GRASSLEY] Well, I can tell you this, we refer a lot of people. I can’t give you a figure in the case of Arctic Frost, if that’s your specific question. I don’t have that figure in my mind. I haven’t been very fortunate over the last 10 years when I’ve referred people for prosecution, particularly four or five people on the Kavanaugh nomination that lied to Congress.
[SWOYER] I covered the hearings. I remember that.
[GRASSLEY] They don’t seem to want to prosecute just for lying before Congress. But I suggest that they be prosecuted because you’ve got to tell people that you can’t lie to Congress and get away with it.
[SWOYER] Right. I covered the Supreme Court leak in 2022 and the protests that occurred at the justices’ homes during that period. I’m sure you remember it was very contentious. I think there’s like a five-year statute of limitations in terms of federal law that says you can’t intimidate a judge or justice into trying to sway their opinion one way or another.
Would that be an area, too, that there should be some prosecution or your committee would like to see action? Because I know you guys were caught up a lot in that. There was a lot of questions before you about what to do with the leak, some of the comments that were made outside the Supreme Court as well. Do you think that there should be any sort of accountability there?
[GRASSLEY] Obviously, there should be accountability when you’re threatening any judge, Supreme Court justice at any level. And I think we have a problem that maybe we don’t have enough personnel within the Marshal Service to protect the judges the way we should. So that’s something to look at. It’s always difficult for another branch of government — like the leaks from the Supreme Court — the Supreme Court’s handling that. I hope that they’re following up and making sure that the people that leaked in the Dobbs case, that they’re prosecuted. Because if you don’t get some justice from it and some prosecution from it, you’re saying to other leakers in the Supreme Court, it’s okay to leak.
[SWOYER] Right. It could happen again.
[GRASSLEY] And the leaks were done to embarrass people not approving the Dobbs case. Kind of surprised that it didn’t affect it
Watch the video for the full conversation.
Read more: Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley wants prosecutions, Arctic Frost accountability
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