Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) announced that the Judiciary Committee launched an investigation into the Department of Justice‘s alleged spying on congressional staff and members of Congress.
The investigation comes after reports emerged that Jason Foster, Sen. Chuck Grassley‘s (R-IA) former chief investigative counsel, had allegedly been spied on by the DOJ. Jordan announced the investigation on Fox Business Network on Tuesday.
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“We now know that they spied on congressional staffers,” Jordan said in an appearance on Fox Business Network’s The Evening Edit with Elizabeth MacDonald. “We want to know, how far does it go? Were they spying on members? Were they spying on other staffers? Never forget, Liz: We know they spied on President Trump’s campaign. We know all that from the FISA Court and what they did with Carter Page and Papadopoulos — everything else. Now we’ve learned that they spied on one of Sen. Grassley’s staff members, Jason Foster.”
? #BREAKING: @Jim_Jordan Launches Inquiry into the DOJ’s Attempts to Spy on Congress
? Letter to DOJ: https://t.co/PERRBUsznC
? Letter to Alphabet: https://t.co/5hsFVj0Y0i
? Letter to Apple: https://t.co/jmXa9sIVGa
? Letter to AT&T: https://t.co/0lY08vHhnQ
? Letter to… pic.twitter.com/t2M2o1251a
— House Judiciary GOP ?? (@JudiciaryGOP) October 31, 2023
“We want to know, does it go further?” he stressed. “So we’ve sent letters not only to the Department of Justice but to all these carriers that the Department of Justice worked with to get the phone records, the email records from congressional staffers like Mr. Foster. How far does this go? Were they spying on members, other staff?”
As part of the investigation, Jordan sent letters to the CEOs of Alphabet, Apple, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, along with Attorney General Merrick Garland, demanding information on alleged attempts by the DOJ to obtain the private communications of members of Congress and their staff.
“The Justice Department’s efforts to obtain the private communications of congressional staffers, including staffers conducting oversight of the Department, is wholly unacceptable and offends fundamental separation of powers principles as well as Congress’s constitutional authority to conduct oversight of the Department,” the letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook read.
The letter then details the report that the DOJ allegedly issued subpoenas to obtain emails and records from congressional staffers on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence who were looking into the department’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation.
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“These revelations strongly suggest that the Justice Department weaponized its law-enforcement authority to spy on the entities seeking to hold it accountable,” the letter stated.
Jordan has made it a priority to investigate alleged weaponization of the DOJ under the Biden administration during his time as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
