Senate Republicans sounded the alarm this week over bombshell revelations that the Justice Department surveilled congressional staff investigating the FBI’s Trump-Russia probe in 2017.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) expressed “deep concern” in a letter Wednesday to Attorney General Merrick Garland about “DOJ’s secret surveillance of private communications of attorneys advising the oversight committee congress.”
“The decision by unelected government bureaucrats to investigate elected congressional representatives and the congressional staff who try to hold them accountable is a real attack on our democracy,” the GOP senator wrote.
Empower Oversight revealed on October 24 that a DC federal judge had approved Google’s subpoena on September 12, 2017, for the personal cell phone and email communications of Empower founder Jason Foster, then lead investigative counsel for Grassley.
Senate Republicans are sounding the alarm about bombshell revelations revealed as part of FOIA last month that congressional staffers oversee the Justice Department’s Russiagate investigation. AP Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Chuck Grassley (R) -Iowa) in a letter Wednesday expressed “deep concern” to Attorney General Merrick about the DOJ’s actions.REUTERS
The subpoena came as Foster assisted Grassley, then chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in conducting oversight of Crossfire Hurricane — the FBI’s investigation into alleged ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian officials.
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz later produced a report documenting various abuses by FBI agents in the process of obtaining a warrant to surveil Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, as well as in the use of the now infamous Steele dossier.
In a request sent to the Justice Department under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Foster alleged that the subpoena also sought records from House and Senate staff from both parties involved in DOJ surveillance.
The subpoena came as the staffer assisted Grassley, then the committee chairman, in overseeing the FBI’s investigation into ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia.REUTERS
“While FOIA requests serve as a valuable tool for transparency, it is clear that in a case of the magnitude of the one occurring here, additional steps must be taken to ensure openness and accountability,” Cruz, Lee and Grassley told Garland.
“Despite the investigation by the Department Head, Congress reserves the right to conduct its own parallel study of this important matter.”
The Republican senator asked the attorney general to come forward by Nov. 22 with the names of any other members and staff whose communications were sought or obtained — as well as DOJ officials who signed the subpoena.
Inspector General Michael Horowitz later produced a report documenting multiple abuses by FBI agents in obtaining FISA warrants to monitor the presidential campaign. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
They have also asked for “specific predicates, criteria or evidence that would justify the Department seeking a grand jury subpoena,” whether there was a legal basis and whether then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was aware of or involved in the effort.
In June 2018, Fox News reported that Rosenstein had threatened to subpoena the personal records of all staffers on the House intelligence committee during a showdown in January over the Justice Department’s failure to comply with a Congressional investigation.
Other requests from Cruz, Grassley and Lee included details about the companies that had been subpoenaed for the data — including Google, Apple, Verizon and AT&T.
Republican senators asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to come forward on Nov. 22 with the names of any other members and staff whose communications were sought or obtained.AP
“This broad and widespread effort to use grand jury subpoenas and possibly other means to gather records of private communications of congressional staffers and their families with little or no legal predicate is completely unacceptable,” the senators said.
“The overreach of the executive branch and the flagrant violation of the separation of powers in this case certainly shocks the conscience and shakes public confidence in our justice system to its core. The public deserves answers.”
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
