Senator Chuck Grassley says DOJ gathered data on 639,000 Trump donors

Senator Chuck Grassley disclosed on Monday that the Justice Department’s special‑counsel investigation, led by Jack Smith, amassed personal data on 639,000 people who contributed to Donald Trump’s campaigns while President Joe Biden was in office.

The revelation, reported on October 17, 2026, claimed the database includes donor names and financial details collected by the Department of Justice under Attorney General Merrick Garland. Grassley warned the information could be used to identify and potentially target Trump supporters, describing the effort as a partisan abuse of power.

Grassley previously highlighted a separate collection of nearly 5,000 GOP donor checks that the DOJ had taken as evidence. He framed both collections as attempts to scrutinize political contributions, questioning the legality and purpose of gathering such data.

The claim was echoed in a commentary piece that cited the figure of six hundred and thirty‑nine thousand donors, emphasizing the scale of the alleged data sweep. The piece also suggested that the special counsel’s investigation came close to jeopardizing Trump’s legal standing.

Lawmakers and observers have raised questions about the authority of a special counsel to compile donor information, especially when the data pertains to contributions made during a prior administration. Critics argue that the practice could chill political expression and deter future donors.

Department of Justice representatives have not provided a detailed response to the allegations, and the investigation’s broader scope remains under scrutiny. The issue is likely to become a focal point in upcoming congressional hearings on the limits of special‑counsel powers.

Grassley’s warning adds to a growing partisan debate over the balance between law‑enforcement oversight and political privacy. The next steps may involve further inquiries by Senate committees and potential legal challenges regarding the handling of donor data.