Chuck Grassley

Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, the Iowa Republican, threw Thursday the latest punch in his committee's fight over last week's mess of a hearing on former special counsel Jack Smith.

Republicans and Democrats have been bickering about the GOP's handling of the probe, which is focused on Smith's investigations into President Donald Trump. Senator Eric Schmitt, the Missouri Republican, tried to lead Smith to perjure himself but failed after confusing the facts of the case.

Ranking Member Dick Durbin, the Illinois Democrat, demanded Grassley apologize Wednesday for Schmitt's conduct—he called Smith a "dirtbag"—and for failing to give the committee's minority a heads-up about the presented evidence. Grassley, in a lengthy response to Durbin's letter, rejected his claims of improper procedure and criticized the Democrats for opposing his investigation.

"Contrary to your misguided statement, the major embarrassment of the hearing was Democrats falling over themselves defending unlawful and unconstitutional actions by Jack Smith," Grassley wrote. "By now it should go without saying that my Democratic colleagues had every chance to assist in my constitutional duty to conduct oversight of these matters. They all failed to lend a hand or request to join my oversight."

Democrats have dismissed Grassley's probe into Smith as a vengeful attack on once-independent Justice Department practices. The former special counsel was investigating Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

"Republicans remain laser focused on attacking Mr. Smith because they don’t want to talk about President Trump’s disgraceful and un-American crimes that Mr. Smith was investigating,” a spokesperson for Durbin told The National News Desk on Friday.

The GOP could pick up its probe when it returns from its recess, but whether Republicans prioritize it remains to be seen. Democrats are within reach of the Senate majority, and a successful midterm showing could lead their conservative colleagues to reevaluate their agenda.

The chamber will be in session for a little more than a month before the next Congress takes the floor, a period during which Trump and his Republican allies could make a last-ditch effort to push through his policies.

Trump's SAVE America Act, for example, faces an even rockier road to success in a Democratic Congress, and he could intensify his pressure campaign on Senate Republicans to change the rulebook and pass it before they lose control. The GOP may also try to ram through more of the president's nominees ahead of any Democratic obstruction.