FBI Obtained Phone Records of Nine GOP Members in Jan. 6 Investigation

The FBI obtained and analyzed the cellphone “tolling data” of nine Republican lawmakers in 2023 as part of its investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to GOP senators and an unclassified document shared by Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA).

The Details: Phone records obtained through a grand jury subpoena show call dates, times, and durations, but not the content of any conversations. The data covers Jan. 4 -7, 2021 – the week of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot – and includes records for several Republican lawmakers, including Senators Lindsey Graham, Bill Hagerty, Josh Hawley, Dan Sullivan, Tommy Tuberville, Ron Johnson, Cynthia Lummis, and Marsha Blackburn, and Rep. Mike Kelly. Grassley accused the FBI and former special counsel Jack Smith of violating lawmakers’ “personal property and constitutional rights.”

For Context: The finding is linked to Arctic Frost, a federal investigation seeking to clarify events surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Led by Smith, the probe resulted in President Trump’s indictment on charges related to conspiring to overturn the election results. According to Newsweek (Center bias), most of the lawmakers named were among those who supported challenges to the 2020 results.

How the Media Covered It: The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board (Lean Right) criticized the FBI’s collection of phone records, framing it as a potential political overreach. It wrote, “It isn’t farfetched to think the FBI might have been trolling for evidence to charge one or more GOP lawmakers with obstruction or another crime.” Newsweek (Center) shared Grassley’s response calling former President Biden’s “weaponization” of the FBI “worse than Watergate.” Politico (Lean Left) noted in one of its headlines that Sen. Hawley falsely claimed the records revealed that the FBI “tapped” lawmakers’ phones. It also said that while the lawmakers listed were part of efforts to block Biden from presidency, it’s “unclear” why the FBI reviewed the phone records of those senators.

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