They believe he is hiding something.
A federal judge has directed Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania to provide over 1,600 texts and emails to FBI agents investigating activities aimed at retaining President Donald Trump in office after his 2020 election loss and obstructing the transfer of power to Democrat Joe Biden.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued the ruling late Monday, following the seizure of Perry’s personal cellphone by federal authorities over a year ago. Boasberg’s decision aligns with a prior finding, which Perry appealed to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C.
In a 12-page ruling, Boasberg stated that, after examining each record, he determined that Perry, a prominent Trump supporter, could withhold 396 messages under the constitution’s speech and debate clause safeguarding the work of Congress members. However, Boasberg ruled that the remaining 1,659 records, which involve non-legislative actions such as attempts to influence the executive branch, discussions on Vice President Mike Pence’s role in certifying the election, and details about alleged election fraud, must be disclosed. Perry’s lawyer, John Rowley, did not immediately respond regarding a potential appeal. Rowley has previously noted that government officials never identified Perry as a target in their investigation.
Perry, chair of the Freedom Caucus, a group of staunch conservatives, has not faced charges and remains the sole sitting Congress member whose cellphone was taken by the FBI during the 2020 election probe.
Efforts to shield the contents of Perry’s phone have mostly occurred confidentially, except for recent instances where snippets of his texts and emails were accidentally unsealed, then resealed, by the federal court.
These messages shed light on Perry’s connections within the network of Trump loyalists pivotal to his attempt to retain power. Of particular interest to federal prosecutors were Perry’s actions to promote Jeffrey Clark to Trump’s acting attorney general in late 2020.
While Perry claimed to have merely facilitated Trump’s request to meet Clark, the messages indicated a deeper alliance between Perry and Clark. Clark aimed to reverse the Department of Justice’s stance on widespread voting fraud and drafted a letter suggesting significant concerns affecting the election outcome in multiple states, including Georgia. This was detailed in an August indictment accusing Trump, Clark, and others of an illegal attempt to retain power.
Clark, then the assistant attorney general of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, stood as a central figure in a Justice Department crisis that ensued. Trump backed down when confronted with potential mass resignations at the Justice Department and his White House counsel’s office.
Clark is now identified in the federal indictment of Trump as one of six unnamed co-conspirators in the effort to unlawfully alter the 2020 election.
