U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland is facing scrutiny from Senate Republicans after revelations that the Department of Justice (DOJ) engaged in covert surveillance of congressional staffers. Republican Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Mike Lee of Utah have penned a letter to Garland, calling the move “a true attack on our democracy” and demanding answers.
The controversy stems from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by Empower Oversight, which revealed that the DOJ had subpoenaed a Senate staffer’s private phone and email logs. This occurred during investigations into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe during the Trump administration, led by both House and Senate lawmakers.
The senators highlighted that the Department’s actions were not limited to Republican staffers, as records indicated that a House staffer working on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence was also targeted. They referenced a previous incident in which Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein threatened to subpoena the personal records of HSPCI staff during a confrontation over the Justice Department’s non-compliance with the committee’s process.
Democrats in Congress have also called for investigations into the targeting of their private communications, further emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability. Empower Oversight has submitted a FOIA request for all relevant documents, including grand-jury subpoenas and communications.
In their letter, Grassley, Cruz, and Lee demanded that the DOJ provide the names of all officials involved in the issuance of the grand jury subpoenas and all people who received subpoenas in both the Senate and House. They also requested information on the specific predicate or evidence justifying the DOJ’s actions and details on other means used to search for information, including the use of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
The senators expressed their concern over the extensive and far-reaching effort to gather personal communications records of congressional staffers and their families without a legitimate predicate, calling it “absolutely unacceptable.” They emphasized the violation of separation of powers and urged the DOJ to provide answers to restore public confidence in the justice system.
The Department of Justice has been given a deadline of November 22 to respond to the senators’ demands. As of now, the DOJ has not issued a comment on the matter.
Brooke Singman, a digital politics reporter, covered this story. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @BrookeSingman.
