{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/politics/jack-smiths-team-monitored-trump-campaign-aide-susie-wiles-phone","slug":"jack-smiths-team-monitored-trump-campaign-aide-susie-wiles-phone","url":"https://mediabias.news/politics/jack-smiths-team-monitored-trump-campaign-aide-susie-wiles-phone","title":"Jack Smith's Team Monitored Trump Campaign Aide Susie Wiles' Phone","subtitle":"Newly released documents show FBI used pen register on Wiles' communications from February to May 2023.","excerpt":"Newly released documents reveal that former special counsel Jack Smith's team monitored the phone activity of Susie Wiles, a top aide to Donald Trump's 2024 campaign. The monitoring, conducted from February to May 2023, involved a pen register and trap-and-trace device, recording metadata of calls.","category":"Politics","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-10-05T18:46:27.230Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-10-05T17:01:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-05T19:30:09.663Z","readTime":"3 min read","scores":{"trust":60,"critic":60,"hype":60,"notes":{"trust":"Central claims attributed to named bodies and documents, but key facts hedged with 'reportedly' and anonymous sourcing.","critic":"Reporting includes quotes from affected parties and names specific figures, dates, and places.","hype":"Headlines promise more than the body delivers, with sensational language used."}},"tags":["#JackSmith","#SusieWiles","#TrumpCampaign","#FBI","#Surveillance","#PlasmicEcho"],"entities":["Jack Smith","Susie Wiles","Donald Trump","Christopher Wray","Merrick Garland","Lisa Monaco","FBI","White House Government Transparency Task Force"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["Jack Smith's team monitored the phone activity of Susie Wiles, a key figure in Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, from February to May 2023.","The monitoring used a pen register and trap-and-trace device, which records metadata like call times and duration, but not content.","The dragnet captured Wiles' communications with at least 21 Trump-affiliated defense lawyers, campaign staff, political advisers, and five journalists.","The documents were released by the White House Government Transparency Task Force and concern an FBI investigation codenamed 'Plasmic Echo'."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Newly released documents show that former special counsel Jack Smith's team monitored the phone activity of Susie Wiles from at least February through May 2023. The monitoring involved a pen register and trap-and-trace device, which records metadata such as who was called, when, and for how long, but not the content of calls. This dragnet swept up Wiles' contacts with at least 21 Trump-affiliated defense lawyers, campaign staff, political advisers, and at least five journalists. The documents were released by the White House Government Transparency Task Force and concern an FBI investigation codenamed 'Plasmic Echo'. FBI Director Christopher Wray submitted the request for the investigation, which was approved by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco."},{"type":"heading","text":"Disagreement on scope of monitoring"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The Gateway Pundit reported that the dragnet swept up contacts with at least 21 Trump-affiliated defense lawyers, campaign staff, political advisers, and at least five journalists. [your]NEWS stated that federal investigators tracked phone metadata involving Susie Wiles and at least 21 Trump-associated lawyers, campaign advisers and journalists. The Western Journal reported that the FBI secretly tracked phone activity of Susie Wiles and Trump's defense lawyers. The Daily Signal reported that former special counsel Jack Smith monitored the phone communications of Susie Wiles, including her communications with at least five journalists, 21 different defense attorneys, and several political advisers. The Heartlander reported that Smith's team obtained the information through what is called a pen register, including her communications with at least five journalists, 21 different defense attorneys, and several political advisers."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of the right-rated reports below mention that FBI Director Christopher Wray submitted the request for the investigation, which was approved by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"Washington Examiner","url":"https://washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/4754271/jack-smith-team-tracked-susie-wiles-calls-kept-tabs-on-trump-lawyers-records-show","headline":"Jack Smith team tracked Susie Wiles calls, records show","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-05T20:05:01.000Z"},{"sourceName":"NewsBusters","url":"https://newsbusters.org/blogs/cnsnews/craig-bannister/2026/10/05/21-trump-lawyers-swept-jack-smiths-2023-spying-trump-chief","headline":"21 Trump Lawyers Swept Up in Jack Smith’s 2023 Spying on Trump Chief of Staff Susie Wiles","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-05T19:38:43.779Z"},{"sourceName":"news-pravda.com","url":"https://news-pravda.com/world/2026/10/05/2643068.html","headline":"Jack Smith’s FBI Ran a Secret ‘Pen Register’ on Susie Wiles’ Phone — Tracked Calls With 21 Trump Lawyers, Campaign Advisers, and at Least Five Journalists","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-05T18:22:45.000Z"},{"sourceName":"WND","url":"https://wnd.com/2026/10/new-documents-jack-smith-tracked-susie-wiles-phone","headline":"New documents: Jack Smith tracked Susie Wiles’ phone, email communications * WorldNetDaily * by Fred Lucas, The Daily Signal","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-05T17:01:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Gateway Pundit","url":"https://thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/jack-smiths-fbi-ran-secret-pen-register-susie","headline":"Jack Smith’s FBI Ran a Secret ‘Pen Register’ on Susie Wiles’ Phone — Tracked Calls With 21 Trump Lawyers, Campaign Advisers, and at Least Five Journalists * The Gateway Pundit * by Jim Hᴏft","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-05T17:00:58.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Heartlander","url":"https://heartlandernews.com/fbi-tracked-susie-wiles-phone-email-communications-with-journalists-lawyers-political-advisors-new-documents-show","headline":"FBI tracked Susie Wiles phone, email communications with journalists, lawyers, political advisors, new documents show","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-05T15:19:50.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Western Journal","url":"https://westernjournal.com/breaking-fbi-secretly-tracked-phone-activity-susie-wiles-trumps-defense-lawyers","headline":"Breaking: FBI Secretly Tracked Phone Activity of Susie Wiles and Trump's Defense Lawyers","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-05T14:44:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"[your]NEWS","url":"https://yournews.com/2026/10/05/7216433/declassified-fbi-memos-show-trump-campaign-chiefs-phone-metadata-tracked","headline":"Declassified FBI Memos Show Trump Campaign Chief’s Phone Metadata Tracked Contacts With Lawyers, Journalists","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-05T14:21:17.000Z"},{"sourceName":"RedState","url":"https://redstate.com/watch/2026/10/05/trump-just-got-everything-on-jack-smith-n2207769","headline":"Trump Just Got Everything on Jack Smith","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-05T14:13:05.000Z"},{"sourceName":"PJ Media","url":"https://pjmedia.com/watch/2026/10/05/trump-just-got-everything-on-jack-smith-n4957993","headline":"Trump Just Got Everything on Jack Smith","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-05T14:13:05.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Daily Signal","url":"https://dailysignal.com/2026/10/05/fbi-tracked-susie-wiles-phone-email-communications-with-journalists-lawyers-political-advisors-new-documents-show","headline":"FBI Tracked Susie Wiles Phone, Email Communications With Journalists, Lawyers, Political Advisors, New Documents Show","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-05T11:08:37.391Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":0,"centre":0,"right":100},"count":{"left":0,"centre":0,"right":10},"totalSources":11,"untracked":1,"rated":10,"observedAt":"2026-10-05T20:27:05.295Z"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-10-05T20:30:22.319Z","closedAt":null,"checks":3,"changes":1,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":[],"centre":[],"right":["Right-rated reports focused on the monitoring of Susie Wiles' phone activity by Jack Smith's team. The Gateway Pundit and [your]NEWS highlighted the number of contacts tracked, specifying at least 21 Trump-affiliated defense lawyers, campaign staff, political advisers, and at least five journalists. The Gateway Pundit quoted an FBI memo detailing specific calls and noted that a pen register provides a 'map of the defense.' It also included commentary from investigative reporter Catherine Herridge, who described the tactic as a classic FBI 'tickle the wire' move and noted an administration official called the tactics 'intrusive.' The Western Journal's headline stated the FBI secretly tracked phone activity of Susie Wiles and Trump's defense lawyers. WND and The Daily Signal reported that Jack Smith tracked Susie Wiles' phone and email communications. RedState's report was framed around 'Trump Just Got Everything on Jack Smith,' suggesting the release of documents provided significant information about Smith's investigation."],"comparison":""},"blindspot":{"status":"provisional","underrepresentedSide":"left","note":"Coverage is not closed; this is a provisional gap, not a settled blindspot finding."},"sourceFactualityDistribution":{"veryLow":2,"low":4,"mixed":3,"high":1,"unknown":1},"ownershipDistribution":{"mediaConglomerate":2,"billionaire":1,"independent":4,"corporation":1},"firstDatedReport":{"sourceName":"The Daily Signal","url":"https://dailysignal.com/2026/10/05/fbi-tracked-susie-wiles-phone-email-communications-with-journalists-lawyers-political-advisors-new-documents-show","publishedAt":"2026-10-05T11:08:37.391Z"},"countries":[{"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","count":3},{"country":"Camarillo, Ventura County, California, United States","count":1},{"country":"Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, 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They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"citation":{"recommended":"MediaBias News, \"Jack Smith's Team Monitored Trump Campaign Aide Susie Wiles' Phone\", https://mediabias.news/politics/jack-smiths-team-monitored-trump-campaign-aide-susie-wiles-phone","canonicalUrl":"https://mediabias.news/politics/jack-smiths-team-monitored-trump-campaign-aide-susie-wiles-phone","instructions":["Cite and link the canonical article URL, not the API, markdown mirror, homepage, or an original outlet URL.","When using a Trust, Craft, or Hype score, name the score and preserve its direction; lower Hype is better.","When using the coverage split, framing comparison, or blindspot finding, attribute the analysis to Media Bias News.","Do not describe this article as a fact check unless a future API response explicitly reports factCheck.status as performed."]},"links":{"canonical":"https://mediabias.news/politics/jack-smiths-team-monitored-trump-campaign-aide-susie-wiles-phone","json":"https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/jack-smiths-team-monitored-trump-campaign-aide-susie-wiles-phone","markdown":"https://mediabias.news/politics/jack-smiths-team-monitored-trump-campaign-aide-susie-wiles-phone.md","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology"}}}