As Special Counsel Jack Smith's probe into the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election continues apace, word has emerged that he is seeking access to recordings of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) that are currently in possession of a whistleblower who has filed claims against Fox News, as Newsweek reports.

Though it has not been confirmed precisely which recordings are being requested by Smith, speculation suggests that he wants to review those previously aired by MSNBC in which Cruz discusses the idea of blocking certification of the 2020 election results with Fox News personality Maria Bartiromo.

Request confirmed

According to Newsweek, an attorney for Abby Grossberg – a former Fox News producer – told host Ari Melber on Tuesday that Smith was indeed seeking access to the aforementioned recordings.

The lawyer indicated that “several law enforcement authorities” had in fact reached out regarding the material, and when asked by Melber of the DOJ was among them, he answered in the affirmative.

It is already known that the attorney possesses a large number of records taking from inside Fox News, including some in which Cruz elaborates on the notion of blocking certification of the 2020 results.

Some of those recordings have already been played during broadcasts on MSNBC, as Newsweek notes.

Cruz's commentary

In a recording reportedly made on Jan. 2, 2021, Cruz is heard telling Bartiromo, “I think that the country deserves to have a credible assessment of these claims and what the evidence shows and the mechanism to try to force that is denying certification on the sixth,” as The Hill notes.

Those comments were not inconsistent with a press release Cruz's office issued in early January of 2021, just before the unrest that ultimately unfolded at the Capitol.

That statement, which was co-signed by several other Republican senators, called for the creation of an electoral commission that would be afforded “full investigatory and fact-finding authority, to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states,” according to The Hill.

“Voter fraud has posed a persistent challenge in our elections, although its breadth and scope are disputed,” the statement read. “By any measure, the allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election exceed any in our lifetimes.”

Senator responds

Though Melber has touted the existence of the tapes as evidence of some kind of nefarious plot by Cruz to steal the election, the senator, unsurprisingly, disagrees.

Cruz took to Twitter to respond to the liberal host, noting that nothing heard on the tapes diverges from what he said in public on the topic of certification.

This @msnbc 🤡 is breathlessly reporting that I “secretly” said in a phone call…the EXACT same thing I said on national television the next morning!

And then said again on the Senate floor four days later. 🤷🏻‍♂️ https://t.co/q7QMdbxZrJ

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 25, 2023

Whether these recordings will ultimately have any material impact on Smith's probe of the 2020 election controversy and of the actions taken by then-President Donald Trump and others, only time will tell.