--- title: "House Republicans release Jack Smith probe transcripts" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/house-republicans-release-jack-smith-probe-transcripts" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/house-republicans-release-jack-smith-probe-transcripts" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/house-republicans-release-jack-smith-probe-transcripts.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/house-republicans-release-jack-smith-probe-transcripts" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-22T23:46:12.507Z" source_reported: "2026-09-22T22:25:19.000Z" updated: "2026-09-22T23:46:12.507Z" trust_score: 50 critic_score: 65 hype_score: 45 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-23T01:00:28.472876+00:00" --- # House Republicans release Jack Smith probe transcripts *Transcripts include testimony from former prosecutors and an agent regarding phone record subpoenas.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 50 of 100, higher is better. Central claims attributed to named bodies, but relies on anonymous sourcing for key details. - Craft 65 of 100, higher is better. Reports include quotes from affected individuals and explain why the story matters. - Hype 45 of 100, lower is better. Headlines promise explosive revelations, but the article content is more measured. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - House Republicans released six transcripts related to the Arctic Frost probe. - The transcripts contain testimony from five former prosecutors and a former DOJ watchdog agent. - Committee Republicans allege investigators improperly subpoenaed phone records belonging to more than a dozen GOP lawmakers. - A retired DOJ Inspector General Special Agent stated he was unaware that phone data he gathered belonged to members of Congress. House Republicans have released six transcripts from the investigation into former Special Counsel Jack Smith. The released documents include testimony from five former prosecutors who worked with Smith and a former Justice Department inspector general agent. These releases are part of the House Judiciary Committee's examination of the Arctic Frost probe. Committee Republicans allege that investigators improperly subpoenaed phone records belonging to more than a dozen Republican lawmakers during the Arctic Frost investigation. They also claim that gag orders were used to prevent lawmakers from knowing that the Biden-Harris Justice Department had obtained their records. ## Disagreement on agent's awareness of congressional subpoenas Retired Justice Department Inspector General Special Agent Brian Burnett stated in his testimony that he was not aware that phone data he was gathering belonged to members of Congress. Burnett said that if he had known the subpoenas were for congressional phone data, he would have raised concerns with his supervisor. Just the News reported that Burnett stated he never once was asked to collect congressional phone data during his decades at the DOJ's watchdog and only learned he had done so for Smith's team after he retired and it was reported in the news. The New York Times Post and other outlets also reported Burnett's statement that he was unaware the data belonged to members of Congress. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated reports below mention the specific number of Republican lawmakers whose phone records were allegedly subpoenaed, beyond stating it was "more than a dozen" in the New York Times Post and other reports. Furthermore, no outlet reported on the specific content of the six released transcripts beyond the testimony of Agent Brian Burnett and the general mention of five former Smith prosecutors. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 0% (0) - Right: 100% (6) 0 of 6 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-23T01:00:28.472876+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 7 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-23T01:30:32.222Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre No separate framing summary. ### Right - Right-rated outlets focused on the release of the transcripts and the allegations of improper subpoenas targeting Republican lawmakers. The New York Times Post and Fox News highlighted that House Republicans released the transcripts in what they described as an "explosive Arctic Frost records fight." Just the News led with testimony from Agent Brian Burnett, stating he was "kept in dark that subpoenaed phone data belonged to Congress." News-Pravda.com's headline stated, "NEW: Jack Smith did not make an agent aware that he was gathering phone records of Congressional members." [your]NEWS and wfmd.com also reported on the release of the transcripts and the allegations concerning GOP lawmakers' phone records. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 1 - low: 1 - mixed: 4 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [news-pravda.com](https://news-pravda.com/world/2026/09/22/2612695.html) — NEW: Jack Smith did not make an agent aware that he was gathering phone records of Congressional members - [[your]NEWS](https://yournews.com/2026/09/22/7203298/house-judiciary-releases-six-jack-smith-team-transcripts-in-arctic) — House Judiciary Releases Six Jack Smith Team Transcripts in Arctic Frost Inquiry - [nytimespost.com](https://nytimespost.com/house-republicans-drop-jack-smith-transcripts-in-explosive-arctic-frost-records-fight) — House Republicans drop Jack Smith transcripts in explosive Arctic Frost records fight - NEW YORK TIMES POST - [wfmd.com](https://wfmd.com/2026/09/22/house-republicans-drop-jack-smith-transcripts-in-explosive-arctic-frost-records-fight) — House Republicans drop Jack Smith transcripts in explosive Arctic Frost records fight - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/politics/house-republicans-drop-jack-smith-transcripts-explosive-arctic-frost-records-fight) — House Republicans drop Jack Smith transcripts in explosive Arctic Frost records fight - [Just the News](https://justthenews.com/accountability/political-ethics/agent-jack-smith-case-says-he-was-kept-dark-subpoenaed-phone-data) — Agent in Jack Smith case says he was kept in dark that subpoenaed phone data belonged to Congress ## Questions **What did House Republicans release?** House Republicans released six transcripts related to the Arctic Frost probe. These transcripts include testimony from five former prosecutors who worked with Special Counsel Jack Smith and a former Justice Department inspector general agent. **What allegations are being made regarding phone records?** Committee Republicans allege that investigators improperly subpoenaed phone records belonging to more than a dozen Republican lawmakers during the Arctic Frost investigation. They also claim that gag orders were used to prevent lawmakers from knowing their records were obtained. **What did former agent Brian Burnett say about the subpoenas?** Retired Justice Department Inspector General Special Agent Brian Burnett stated he was unaware that phone data he was gathering belonged to members of Congress. He indicated that he would have raised concerns with his supervisor if he had known the subpoenas were for congressional phone data. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/house-republicans-release-jack-smith-probe-transcripts. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "House Republicans release Jack Smith probe transcripts", https://mediabias.news/politics/house-republicans-release-jack-smith-probe-transcripts