Conservatives accuse Jack Smith of improper ties with judges in Trump cases after new document dump

By Fox News · Fox News

Conservative critics are accusing former special counsel Jack Smith of improperly coordinating with two federal judges after Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released documents Tuesday showing Smith’s team interacted with the pair during the Trump investigations . "Democrat DC U.S. district judges illegally worked in secret with Biden Special Counsel Jack Smith to bring charges against President Trump," Article III Project founder Mike Davis claimed on X as details of the documents emerged on Tuesday. Smith's investigations led to criminal charges against President Donald Trump over the 2020 election and alleged retention of classified documents. Trump called the investigations a "witch hunt," while Republicans widely condemned the charges as an abuse of power designed to take out the then leading Republican presidential candidate. The documents released by Grassley included notes about a briefing Smith's team gave Attorney General Merrick Garland on Jan. 13, 2023, just after Garland appointed Smith as special counsel. The notes referenced meetings with Judges Beryl Howell and James Boasberg of Washington, D.C., both Obama appointees and Trump nemeses known for their high-profile adverse rulings against the president. MIKE DAVIS: WHY DC'S TRUMP-HATING JUDGE BOASBERG MUST BE IMPEACHED "She liked our approach of pursuing the executive privilege litigation in an omnibus fashion," Smith's team wrote in reference to Howell, according to the documents. Omnibus motions allow for consolidated, rather than piecemeal, litigation and are typically used by lawyers to streamline court filings. Smith's team frequently sought permission from the court to pierce executive privilege, a presumptive right that a president and his aides have that gives their communications a layer of legal privacy. The briefing notes also referenced a forthcoming meeting with Boasberg on March 18, 2023, the day after he was set to become chief judge, succeeding Howell. The White House responded in a state…