Senator John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has joined Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) in requesting information from four major telecommunications companies about records handed over to Special Counsel Jack Smith. The request is related to the Biden-era Arctic Frost investigation.
The letters were sent to Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Lumen. The senators are seeking all records pertaining to Congressional Republicans that may have been provided as part of Smith’s investigation. They also questioned whether the companies challenged any subpoenas issued by Smith.
“By law, the Senators’ offices retain possession of their Senate data from both dual use and Senate specific devices and service providers do not acquire ‘possession, custody, or control’ of that data,” the lawmakers wrote.
“Even if the phone numbers above do not fall into those categories, there are serious constitutional questions that those communications are still subject to constitutional protections. Indeed, the time period Jack Smith focused his secret efforts to obtain the records from constitutional officers falls squarely within a core constitutional duty – certification of the electoral college,” they added.
“That raises a reasonable concern that calls, texts, and emails sent from or to those devices may have been acts consistent with the duties of office. Accordingly, we request records of all requests or orders made by the Department of Justice (DOJ) or any federal law enforcement agency to you, informally or formally, through service of legal process, for all data or information related to the following Members’ devices where you were the provider,” according to members of Congress.
Other lawmakers who joined in signing these letters include Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Ashley Moody (R-Fla.). Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) also signed.
On October 9th, Senator Kennedy joined another letter led by Grassley and Johnson seeking information from both the Department of Justice and FBI regarding Smith’s subpoenas for Republican lawmakers’ telephone records.
