Newly released internal Justice Department messages appear to show classified security lapses inside former special counsel Jack Smith’s office while prosecutors under the Biden administration were pursuing President Donald Trump over his handling of classified documents.The records, released Wednesday, describe an incident in which an individual received access to classified material without confirmation of a required “need to know,” uncertainty over the movement of classified materials, and a security “violation and incident” after a DOJ sensitive compartmented information facility, or SCIF, was left unsecured overnight or longer. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) released the messages while demanding answers from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about whether the incidents were investigated and whether any classified material was compromised.“Talk about the pot calling the kettle black,” Grassley said in a statement. “According to these messages, Biden DOJ personnel may have committed the very offense for which Jack Smith was prosecuting President Trump.”
In a letter to Blanche, Grassley requested responses by July 22 addressing whether the apparent security failures involved evidence used in Smith’s prosecution of Trump, whether anyone was disciplined, whether Trump’s attorneys or the federal court overseeing the case were notified, and whether any classified information was compromised.The communications identify multiple members of Smith’s Special Counsel Office (SCO) and other Biden DOJ personnel discussing the incidents, including senior assistant special counsel Molly Gaston, prosecutor Thomas Windom, Carli Rodriguez-Feo, Julie Edelstein, William O’Neil, and Stephanie Van Buskirk. The messages were produced by the Trump DOJ in response to Grassley’s oversight requests.One exchange reflects concerns that an individual had been granted access to classified material before officials confirmed the person had the requisite “need to know.” Another indicates uncertainty about whether classified materials housed in a DOJ SCIF had been moved without proper accounting.A separate chain of messages between April 18 and 19, 2024, documented what employees described as “a violation and incident” after a SCIF accessible to Smith’s office was apparently left unsecured.One DOJ official wrote that “no one opened it yesterday because no one closed it the day before,” prompting another to respond, “That’s a violation and incident so I need to know the details.” Additional messages urged personnel to check the SCIF before leaving because there was limited staffing available to oversee the secure facility.A screenshot of April 2024 internal Justice Department messages released by Sen. Chuck Grassley shows personnel assigned to former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office discussing an apparent security “violation and incident” after a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) was allegedly left unsecured. (Courtesy of Senate Judiciary Committee)
