Senate Republicans are demanding solutions from the Justice Division amid revelations that the company “engaged in a marketing campaign of covert surveillance” of congressional staffers, calling the transfer “a real assault on our democracy.”
Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa; Ted Cruz of Texas; and Mike Lee of Utah penned a letter to Lawyer Basic Merrick Garland after a Freedom of Info Act (FOIA) request by Empower Oversight revealed that the Division of Justice had subpoenaed a Senate staffer’s personal cellphone and e mail logs as each Home and Senate lawmakers investigated the origins of the Trump-Russia probe throughout the Trump administration.
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“We write to specific deep concern relating to current revelations that the Division of Justice engaged in a marketing campaign of covert surveillance of the non-public communications of attorneys advising congressional oversight committees,” they wrote. “The choice by unelected authorities bureaucrats to research the elected congressional representatives and congressional employees making an attempt to carry them accountable is a real assault on our democracy.”
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IO). (Al Drago/Bloomberg by way of Getty Pictures)
The FOIA request revealed that the Division of Justice had subpoenaed Google for all phone connection data and textual content message logs for the chief investigative counsel to the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Jason Foster. On the time, Grassley was the chairman of the panel and was investigating DOJ misconduct.
The senators additionally identified that additional data indicated that the non-public data of a Home staffer engaged on the Home Everlasting Choose Committee on Intelligence had been moreover “focused as a part of this vendetta marketing campaign.”
“Notably, in January 2018, Deputy Lawyer Basic Rod Rosenstein threatened to subpoena HSPCI employees private data throughout a confrontation over the Justice Division’s failure to adjust to the committee’s obligatory course of,” they wrote. “Besides, the targets of the Division and FBI weren’t restricted to Republican staffers.”
Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, speaks throughout a Senate Overseas Relations Committee listening to in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg by way of Getty Pictures)
The senators famous that Democrats in Congress have additionally referred to as for investigations into the concentrating on of their personal communications.
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The senators mentioned that Empower Oversight had submitted a FOIA request for all related paperwork, together with grand-jury subpoenas, communications between numerous places of work and correspondence with the press, however burdened that “extra measures have to be taken to make sure openness and accountability.”
Senator Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, throughout a nomination listening to in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Could 17, 2023. (Cheriss Could/Bloomberg by way of Getty Pictures)
“However the investigation by the Division’s Inspector Basic, Congress is entitled to conduct its personal parallel assessment of this vital matter,” they wrote.
Grassley, Cruz and Lee are demanding the DOJ present all names of all DOJ officers who “drafted, supervised, or authorized the issuance of the grand jury subpoenas in query or in any other case associated to the consolidated leaks case.”
In addition they requested the names of all folks employed in each the Senate and Home who acquired subpoenas, and the names of all folks within the Senate and Home for which subpoenas had been sought.
Deputy Lawyer Basic Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller as particular counsel in Could 2017 to research whether or not members of the Trump marketing campaign coordinated with Russia to affect the 2016 presidential election.
The senators requested the “particular predicate, standards or proof that justified” the DOJ looking for these grand jury subpoenas for private data belonging to members of Congress and their staffers and households.
Grassley, Cruz and Lee are additionally demanding data on “all different means” the DOJ used to seek for data, together with particular databases and use of the Overseas Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
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In addition they are looking for data relating to former Deputy Lawyer Basic Rod Rosenstein’s involvement within the approval or issuance of the subpoenas, or data to show that they had been executed “with out his information or consent.”
The senators requested that the DOJ determine all organizations subpoenaed, resembling Google, Verizon, Apple AT&T and others, as a part of the leaks case for data on members of Congress, their staffers and their households.
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“This in depth and far-reaching effort to make use of grand jury subpoenas and maybe different means to collect the non-public communications data of congressional staffers and their households with little or no professional predicate is completely unacceptable,” they wrote. “The manager department overreach and gross violation of separation of powers obvious on this case little question shocks the conscience and shakes public confidence in our justice system to its core.”
They added: “The general public deserves solutions.”
The senators gave the Division of Justice a deadline of November 22 to reply.
The DOJ didn’t instantly reply to Fox Information’ request for remark.
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