WATCH: Kennedy says Jack Smith isn't 'Bambi's baby brother' in hearing clash with Durbin

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., clashed on Tuesday during a Senate Judiciary Committee with former special counsel Jack Smith, who led investigations into President Donald Trump’s mishandling of classified documents and the Jan. 6 attack.

Kennedy repeatedly cut Smith off as he questioned whether Smith chose only to subpoena the phone toll records of Republican lawmakers in his investigation into Trump's role on Jan. 6.

Kennedy said Smith violated the Speech or Debate Clause in the Constitution, which grants immunity to members of Congress over official duties. He mocked Smith, asking whether he was “in the quad playing frisbee” during his law school’s constitutional law class.

“Anybody who knows a law book from a J.Crew catalog knows that this violates the Constitution,” Kennedy said.

Durbin stepped in, saying Smith “should be allowed to answer the questions, complete a sentence.”

Kennedy rebuffed the suggestion, asking committee chair Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, “to instruct the witness” not to filibuster.

”He's not Bambi's baby brother,” Kennedy said. “He's been around. Everybody knows him, and he was famous or infamous even before he was hired to prosecute President Trump.”

Republicans and the president have accused Smith of pursuing a politically motivated case against the president. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, referred Smith to the Justice Department for possible prosecution, alleging that Smith made false statements during an hourslong closed-door meeting with lawmakers in December.

Smith has denied accusations of bias, saying he had "proof beyond a reasonable doubt" of what his investigations laid out.

Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show.

Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: https://to.pbs.org/41q6E8i
Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe
PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts
Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG
Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

Follow us:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews
X: http://www.twitter.com/newshour
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newshour/