Washington, March 25 (IANS) A bitter partisan clash erupted in the US Senate as Republicans accused federal investigators of orchestrating a sweeping abuse of power in their inquiries into Donald Trump, likening the effort to a “modern Watergate,” while Democrats dismissed the claims as unfounded and defended the investigations as routine law enforcement.

At a combative Judiciary subcommittee hearing titled “Arctic Frost,” Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, said the Justice Department under former President Joe Biden had authorised a far-reaching probe that intruded into “approximately 100,000 private communications” and targeted “more than a dozen Senators and thousands of individuals lives.”

“It is a modern Watergate,” Cruz said, arguing that the investigation went beyond past scandals because it was “fully authorized, formalized, and executed through the official powers of the United States government.”

He alleged that nearly 200 subpoenas were issued, covering more than 400 Republican-aligned individuals and organisations, including political groups, donors, and lawyers. Among the targets, he said, were entities linked to Trump’s political network, including his campaign and affiliated organisations.

Republicans focused heavily on the use of subpoenas to obtain phone “toll records,” including those of lawmakers. Cruz said the FBI had collected data from “nearly 20 per cent of the Republicans in the Senate,” describing it as an unprecedented intrusion. Senator Mike Lee of Utah called the investigation “a development of staggering proportions,” while Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana questioned why telecommunications companies complied with the orders.

Witnesses invited by Republicans echoed those concerns. Will Chamberlain, a legal analyst, pointed to reports that the FBI recorded a phone call between Trump campaign adviser Susie Wiles and her lawyer. If done without consent, he said, “we are likely looking at an illegal wiretap.” He also criticised the use of internal FBI systems to restrict access to certain files, saying such practices could prevent oversight.

Democrats countered that the hearing itself was politically motivated and ignored the underlying reasons for the investigation into Trump and his allies. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island said subpoenas for phone records were a standard part of criminal inquiries.

“Of course they did,” he said of investigators seeking such records. “Virtually every investigation involves subpoenas for toll records for any number of reasons.”

Whitehouse argued that individuals such as Kash Patel and Wiles were relevant to the investigation. Patel, he said, had made himself “a fact witness,” while Wiles was referenced in the classified documents case involving Trump.

Democrats repeatedly pressed Republicans to call Special Counsel Jack Smith — who led the investigations — to testify under oath. “Why not call him? Hear it from the man himself?” Whitehouse said.

Another Democratic senator described the hearing as “a baseless partisan witch hunt,” while Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii said Republicans were “milking a dead cow” by revisiting issues already examined.

Christopher O’Leary, a former senior FBI official who testified as a witness, defended the bureau’s institutional processes and rejected claims of a politically driven conspiracy. He said investigations are based on “facts, intelligence and evidence, not ideology or affiliation.”

O’Leary warned, however, that recent dismissals of FBI personnel had caused “generational damage” to national security capabilities, particularly in counterintelligence operations.

--IANS

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