1/6 Committee Will Ask Telecommunications Companies to Preserve Phone Records of Lawmakers Who Participated in "Stop the Steal" Rally

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Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 02:34 pm

The House Select Committee investigating the events that led to the Capitol riot of January 6 will ask telecommunications companies to preserve the phone records of lawmakers who participated in the “Stop the Steal” rally ahead of the insurrection.

Phone records include those of several Republican lawmakers and former President Donald Trump, as well as members of the Trump family.

“The records request is the first step in the committee’s investigatory process and could signal the direction they plan to go when they call witnesses,” according to a report from CNN, which noted that while it is unclear how the committee will compel telecommunications to comply with the request, the committee does have the authority to issue subpoenas. Nevertheless, requesting information from members of Congress could result in a legal battle.

Sources who spoke to CNN said the committee opted against making public the names of the lawmakers whose records are under scrutiny, but other sources said the list includes several prominent Republicans who have backed Trump’s “Big Lie” that the 2020 general election was stolen, including Representatives Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), and Jim Jordan (Ohio).