In total, 15 Senators have signed the letter demanding release of all information regarding an investigation into Jan. 6 communications.
U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody is joining her Republican colleagues in trying obtain records of Senators’ phone data that they say former President Joe Biden’s administration wrongfully obtained.
Moody announced that she has signed on to a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel. The letter demands that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ[1]) and the FBI[2] produce all records from the Biden administration’s effort to secretly get phone data[3] of several members of Congress.
The data was obtained during what was called the “Arctic Frost” investigation. The Associated Press reported[4] that the FBI in 2023 analyzed phone records of more than a half-dozen Republican lawmakers as part of an investigation into efforts by President Donald Trump[5] to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to information released by GOP Senators.
The records enabled investigators to see basic information about the date and time of the calls, but not the content of the communications, the Senators said. The data spanned several days during the week of Jan. 6, 2021, when pro-Trump rioters[6] stormed the U.S. Capitol in a bid to halt the certification of the election results.
“Given that these materials relate to an unprecedented collection of records and information on sitting (members of Congress) and raise serious constitutional concerns, Congress’ need for these records clearly outweighs any interest in secrecy,” reads the letter[7] that Moody signed.
“Further, the unprecedented nature of the DOJ’s and FBI’s actions in collecting (members of Congress’) communication records falls squarely within Congress’ constitutional duty to thoroughly investigate potential abuses of power and creates a uniquely exceptional circumstance that demands the release of otherwise protected records.”
A subpoena for the phone records was disclosed by several Republican Senators, including U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley[8], an Iowa Republican who chairs the Judiciary Committee, which oversees the FBI. Grassley said a document memorializing the “preliminary toll analysis” was produced in response to his request.
In total, 15 Republican Senators have signed the letter that was sent to the DOJ and FBI.
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Material from The Associated Press was used in this report. Republished with permission.
References
- ^ DOJ (www.justice.gov)
- ^ FBI (www.fbi.gov)
- ^ phone data (www.judiciary.senate.gov)
- ^ reported (apnews.com)
- ^ President Donald Trump (apnews.com)
- ^ pro-Trump rioters (apnews.com)
- ^ letter (www.grassley.senate.gov)
- ^ Chuck Grassley (apnews.com)