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Sen. Blackburn Sues Jack Smith Over Seizure of Her Phone Records

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 10 outlets, mostly right-leaning (80%).

17 articles in total, 2 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., filed a lawsuit Wednesday in federal court in Tennessee against former special counsel Jack Smith and the Justice Department, alleging that a subpoena for her phone records during Smith’s investigation of former President Trump violated the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause along with her First and Fourth Amendment rights. The suit claims Smith’s 2022 appointment as special counsel was unlawful and seeks nominal damages of $1, a court declaration on the appointment, and destruction or return of her records. Some outlets report Smith also subpoenaed records of several other senators and obtained a non-disclosure order barring their carrier from notifying them. The lawsuit follows Smith’s Tuesday testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, after which Sen. Bill Hagerty filed a bar complaint against Smith and Blackburn said she believes he should face criminal prosecution.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Blackburn filed a lawsuit Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee against Jack Smith and the Justice Department.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  2. The lawsuit alleges violations of the Speech or Debate Clause and the First and Fourth Amendments, and claims Smith’s appointment as special counsel was unlawful.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  3. Smith obtained phone records of Blackburn and several other senators via subpoena, along with a court order preventing the carrier from notifying them.

    Reported byRight

  4. Blackburn is seeking nominal damages of $1 and a court declaration that Smith’s appointment was unlawful.

    Reported byRight

  5. Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

    Reported byRight

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. Sen. Bill Hagerty filed a bar complaint against Smith alleging prosecutorial misconduct.

    Reported byRight

  2. Blackburn said in a podcast interview that she believes Smith should face criminal prosecution.

    Reported byRight

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Whether Smith's investigation into Republican lawmakers' phone records amounted to political targeting or legitimate investigative action.

    Senate Republicans including Hagerty and Cruz, and outlets like The Federalist and RedState, describe it as a political espionage campaign or 'lawfare' against Trump supporters; left and center coverage does not characterize the investigation's motives.

  • Whether Smith's appointment as special counsel was lawful.

    Blackburn's lawsuit asserts the appointment was unlawful; this is presented as a legal claim still to be adjudicated by the court, not an established fact, across all sides.

  • Whether Smith's conduct constituted prosecutorial misconduct or abuse of power.

    Hagerty's bar complaint and several Republican senators' statements allege misconduct and abuse of power; no rebuttal or response from Smith is included in the supplied coverage.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The single left-side outlet frames the story around the legal question of how far the Speech or Debate Clause extends, without personal characterizations of Smith.

    Senator Marsha Blackburn Sues Over Jack Smith’s Subpoena During Trump Inquiry
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The center outlet reports the lawsuit filing factually, noting it as part of a broader political fight over the scope of Smith's investigation.

    Blackburn sues Jack Smith over phone records
    Roll CallCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    8 outlets · 1 opinion

    Most right-leaning outlets report the lawsuit, Senate testimony, and Hagerty's bar complaint as straightforward news, while a minority of opinion pieces (e.g., RedState) and The Federalist frame Smith's investigation as politically motivated misconduct, using terms like “lawfare” and “partisan thug.”

    Sen. Marsha Blackburn sues ex-Special Counsel Jack Smith, says he illegally obtained her phone records
    New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right11

    who sued Jack Smith for violating her civil rightsSecret phone-record seizurepartisan thugFeels the Heat

In the outlets’ own words

  • Absolutist framing

    who sued Jack Smith for violating her civil rightsMore neutral: who sued Jack Smith alleging he violated her civil rights

    States as settled fact that Smith violated Blackburn's civil rights, when this is merely the allegation in her lawsuit.

    …sitting senator from Tennessee and GOP gubernatorial candidate who sued Jack Smith for violating her civil rights, says she believes the ex-prosecutor should also face criminal…

    Used byJust the News (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    Secret phone-record seizureMore neutral: Secret phone-record subpoena

    Describes a court-authorized subpoena as a 'seizure,' implying forcible confiscation rather than routine legal process.

    Secret phone-record seizure sparks personal lawsuit from GOP senator

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    partisan thugMore neutral: partisan actor

    Reduces Smith to a contemptible category rather than describing specific conduct.

    …of Republicans and Related Matters,” and hoo boy, did he show himself to be a partisan thug who has little regard for the notions of the rule of law and privacy.

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    Feels the HeatMore neutral: Faces new legal actions

    Dramatizes the situation rather than stating facts about the legal actions taken.

    Jack Smith Feels the Heat As Two GOP Senators Come After Him Following Orwellian Senate Testimony

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

Show 7 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    Come After HimMore neutral: File legal actions against him

    Frames the senators' legal filings as an aggressive personal attack rather than formal legal and ethics actions.

    Jack Smith Feels the Heat As Two GOP Senators Come After Him Following Orwellian Senate Testimony

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Delegitimizing label

    Orwellian Senate TestimonyMore neutral: Contentious Senate testimony

    Dismisses the testimony as totalitarian propaganda rather than describing its content.

    Jack Smith Feels the Heat As Two GOP Senators Come After Him Following Orwellian Senate Testimony

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    ill-fated probeMore neutral: investigation

    Characterizes the investigation's outcome judgmentally rather than describing it factually.

    One of the senators whose phone records were obtained by Jack Smith during his ill-fated probe of President Trump sued on Wednesday, asking a court to reprimand the former…

    Used byThe Washington Times (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    aggressive actionsMore neutral: investigative actions

    Presents Smith's investigative steps as pejoratively aggressive rather than describing them neutrally.

    …on Wednesday, asking a court to reprimand the former special counsel for his aggressive actions.

    Used byThe Washington Times (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    grilling before the Senate Judiciary CommitteeMore neutral: questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee

    Implies a hostile interrogation rather than a neutral description of questioning.

    Smith faced a grilling before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday over his investigation and prosecution of President…

    Used byWashington Examiner (Right)

  • Partisan shorthand

    lawfareMore neutral: legal investigation

    A term that presupposes the investigation was illegitimate litigation used as a political weapon.

    …over his “unlawful” seizure of her cell phone records during his Arctic Frost lawfare against Donald Trump.

    Used byThe Federalist (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    Phone Record SeizureMore neutral: Phone Record Subpoena

    Describes a court-authorized subpoena as a 'seizure,' implying forcible confiscation rather than routine legal process.

    Blackburn Takes Jack Smith’s ‘Unlawful’ Phone Record Seizure To Court

    Used byThe Federalist (Far Right)

Words quoted from someone else (4)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Partisan shorthand

    Quoted

    weaponized against the American peopleMore neutral: misused for political purposes

    A politically loaded phrase that frames the justice system's actions in adversarial terms, though attributed to Blackburn.

    …and ensuring that our nation’s justice system can never again be weaponized against the American people.'

    Quoted byThe Federalist (Far Right)

    Inside a quotation: the outlets are reporting someone else’s words.

  • Dehumanizing label

    Quoted

    partisan actorMore neutral: someone acting with political bias, according to Hagerty

    A quoted but pejorative label applied to Smith that frames him dismissively rather than describing specific actions.

    …brought two federal indictments against President Donald Trump — calling him a “partisan actor” and declaring that “his prosecutorial misconduct damaged our constitutional…

    Quoted byBreitbart News (Far Right)

    Inside a quotation: the outlets are reporting someone else’s words.

  • Delegitimizing label

    Quoted

    His Prosecutorial Misconduct Damaged Our Constitutional OrderMore neutral: Alleges Smith's Conduct Damaged Constitutional Order

    Presents Hagerty's contested accusation as a quoted conclusion in the headline, framing Smith's conduct as established misconduct.

    Hagerty Files Bar Complaint Against Jack Smith: 'His Prosecutorial Misconduct Damaged Our Constitutional Order'

    Quoted byBreitbart News (Far Right)

    Inside a quotation: the outlets are reporting someone else’s words.

  • Delegitimizing label

    Quoted

    a blatantly partisan actorMore neutral: a prosecutor Hagerty describes as partisan

    Dismisses Smith's legitimacy as a prosecutor based on a senator's characterization presented without qualification.

    Jack Smith is “a blatantly partisan actor and his prosecutorial misconduct damaged our constitutional order.

    Quoted byThe Federalist (Far Right)

    Inside a quotation: the outlets are reporting someone else’s words.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

  • constitutional question raised by the lawsuit
  • lawsuit filing by Blackburn

Leaves out

  • Hagerty's bar complaint
  • calls for Smith's criminal prosecution
  • non-disclosure order preventing carrier notification

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • lawsuit filing
  • dispute over investigation's reach

Leaves out

  • Hagerty's bar complaint
  • calls for Smith's criminal prosecution

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • Roll CallCenter

    Blackburn sues Jack Smith over phone records

    Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., sued former special counsel Jack Smith on Wednesday, alleging that his prosecution of the president also unconstitutionally pulled in her records as a member of Congress. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. …

    Read at Roll Call (opens in a new tab)

From the right

8 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • Blackburn's lawsuit against Smith
  • Hagerty's bar complaint
  • Smith's Senate testimony and GOP reaction
  • details of the Arctic Frost investigation
See the 9 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    5 hr 28 min later

    Its first report, Sep 30, 5:27 PM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    Roll Call, Sep 30, 11:59 AM EDT

  • Right

    1 min later

    Its first report, Sep 30, 12:00 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Roll CallCenterSep 30, 11:59 AM EDT
  2. Fox NewsFar RightSep 30, 12:00 PM EDT
  3. The Washington TimesRightSep 30, 1:37 PM EDT
  4. Washington ExaminerRightSep 30, 4:24 PM EDT
  5. The FederalistFar RightSep 30, 4:42 PM EDT
  6. The New York TimesLeftSep 30, 5:27 PM EDT
  7. Breitbart NewsFar RightSep 30, 6:42 PM EDT
  8. The Epoch TimesFar RightSep 30, 9:26 PM EDT
  9. New York PostRightOct 1, 7:27 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.

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