According to a new report by the department’s internal watchdog, the Trump Justice Department secretly collected the phone and text message logs of 43 congressional.
Staffers and two members of Congress in 2017 and 2018 in an effort to look into classified information leaks. This was a much larger investigation than was previously known.
Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s report concluded that while the DOJ did not act with political intent, it did not adequately consider the constitutional separation of powers when.
It seized the communications records of lawmakers and staffers and subjected them to criminal investigations solely because their employment permitted them to lawfully access state secrets.
Using subpoenas and other legal procedures, prosecutors were able to get the information from third-party suppliers, such as Apple, and attached gag orders to stop the businesses.
From informing the consumers. Although the seizures had already been disclosed, the IG provided fresh information on the effort’s wide-ranging extent.
