Shutdown Deal Would Let Senators Sue for Jack Smith Searches (1) [View all]

Source: Bloomberg Law

US Law Week
Shutdown Deal Would Let Senators Sue for Jack Smith Searches (1)

Nov. 10, 2025, 3:11 PM EST; Updated: Nov. 10, 2025, 3:47 PM EST
Ben Penn
Senior Reporter


Jack Smith, US special counsel, speaks during a news conference in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 1, 2023.
Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg

Senators whose phone records were sought by Special Counsel Jack Smith would gain authority to sue for millions in damages under a provision buried in the Senate-advanced deal to reopen the government.

The spending measure, which cleared a Senate procedural hurdle Sunday night, would create a private right of action allowing senators who've been searched--without their knowledge--for their communications data to bring civil lawsuits against the US government and potentially individual federal employees.

Each time criminal investigators attempted to access a senator's data without informing them, the court would be able to award at least $500,000, provided that the lawmaker ...

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Read more: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/shutdown-deal-would-let-senators-sue-over-jack-smith-searches

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Reposted by Mike Masnick
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Senators look at Trump's shameless corruption and say "give us some of that"

— DO NOT REPEAT THIS POPEHAT (@kenwhite.bsky.social) 2025-11-10T22:28:12.651Z

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‪@kenwhite.bsky.social‬

Senators look at Trump's shameless corruption and say "give us some of that"

‪Ben Penn‬
‪@benjaminpenn.bsky.social‬
· 3h
Buried inside the deal to reopen government is a provision that would give Senators private right of action to sue for millions in damages over their phone records being analyzed by Jack Smith's team.

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/shutdown-deal-would-let-senators-sue-over-jack-smith-searches

Shutdown Deal Would Let Senators Sue Over Jack Smith Searches
Senators whose phone records were sought by Special Counsel Jack Smith would gain authority to sue for millions in damages under a provision buried in the Senate-advanced deal to reopen the government...
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:28 PM
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Buried inside the deal to reopen government is a provision that would give Senators private right of action to sue for millions in damages over their phone records being analyzed by Jack Smith's team.
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

— Ben Penn (@benjaminpenn.bsky.social) 2025-11-10T20:20:14.410Z

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Ben Penn
‪@benjaminpenn.bsky.social‬

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Buried inside the deal to reopen government is a provision that would give Senators private right of action to sue for millions in damages over their phone records being analyzed by Jack Smith's team.

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/shutdown-deal-would-let-senators-sue-over-jack-smith-searches

Shutdown Deal Would Let Senators Sue Over Jack Smith Searches
Senators whose phone records were sought by Special Counsel Jack Smith would gain authority to sue for millions in damages under a provision buried in the Senate-advanced deal to reopen the government...
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:20 PM
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