In 2023, the FBI obtained and analyzed call records of more than six Republican lawmakers as part of the probe into former President Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, GOP senators revealed.
The data covered metadata—dates, times, and call logs—not the actual content of conversations. The period examined included the week of January 6, 2021, when pro‑Trump rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol amid efforts to block certification of the election.
Senator Chuck Grassley, who oversees the Judiciary Committee, disclosed that a document dated September 27, 2023, labeled a “preliminary toll analysis” listed several Republican lawmakers whose records were examined, including Lindsey Graham, Josh Hawley, Ron Johnson, Marsha Blackburn, and others. The probe was authorized by a grand jury, according to the senators.
Grassley sharply criticized the action, calling it a “violation of personal property and people’s rights and the law and their constitutional rights.”
The released records don’t explain how the lawmakers were chosen for scrutiny or whether the analysis produced any actionable leads.
Senators have said they won’t launch their own inquiry, expecting that FBI leadership under Director Kash Patel and Deputy Dan Bongino—both seen as aligned with Trump—will review the matter. Senate Majority Leader John Thune also voiced strong concerns, calling the episode an “outrageous abuse of power.”
This revelation adds a new chapter to the closed investigation led by former special counsel Jack Smith into the efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Trump was indicted in that probe in 2023, but the case was dropped in 2024 after a legal opinion held that sitting presidents cannot face federal prosecution
Source: AP NEWS
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