The revelation that FBI agents pulled the phone records of eight GOP senators and one House Republican as part of the Jan. 6 investigation set off a new controversy just as Attorney General Pam Bondi makes a highly anticipated appearance today before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
FBI officials came to Capitol Hill on Monday to privately brief senators before Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released an internal FBI document from Sept. 2023 showing that the FBI obtained cell phone info for GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Josh Hawley (Mo.), Ron Johnson (Wis.), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Bill Hagerty (Tenn.), Tommy Tuberville (Ala.), Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.) and Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), as well as GOP Rep. Mike Kelly (Pa.).
The records obtained by the FBI covered the period from Jan. 4-7, 2021.
The FBI and Justice Department looked into whether GOP lawmakers had a role in President Donald Trump’s false electors scheme following the 2020 elections. This eventually became part of former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation.
Johnson and Kelly’s role in the false electors scheme has been covered extensively, including as part of the Jan. 6 select committee probe, but it hadn’t been revealed that the other senators were investigated by DOJ and the FBI.
FBI Director Kash Patel said officials “recently uncovered proof that phone records of U.S. lawmakers were seized for political purposes.”
More Patel: “That abuse of power ends now.”
Grassley said the “weaponization by federal law enforcement under Biden was arguably worse than Watergate.” Graham — who was Judiciary Committee chair at the time his phone records were pulled — said the incident “ bothers the hell out of me.”
In an interview, Hawley called it “a total disgrace,” adding he thinks “it sets a dangerous precedent.” Hawley said whoever was involved in the episode should be identified.
The timing of Monday’s disclosure was also noteworthy. Bondi will be grilled by Democrats over the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, immigration and ICE raids, Trump’s threatened use of the Insurrection Act and lots more.
But this announcement will help give Republicans plenty of ammo to counter Democrats. Graham, Hawley and Blackburn are all on the panel.
