Republican lawmakers have advised telecommunication companies to preserve the phone records of certain Democrats, a move that comes after Nancy Pelosi’s select committee investigating the January 6 riot at the Capitol had done the same to their counterparts.
Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ), along with several other Republican congressmen, wrote a letter to various telecommunication and social media companies saying that if those companies provide Democrats with the phone records of Republicans, they need to provide Republicans with the phone records of Democrats.
But more importantly, they argue, these companies should not be providing anyone with private individuals’ records.
The group noted the initial Democrat efforts to obtain records from members of Congress and Trump’s family, something they claim goes against “U.S. Constitution and U.S. Supreme Court precedent.”
“Simply put, neither the Committee nor you have the legal authority to provide those records,” the letter states.
“Adopting the misguided legal theory of the Committee Chairman would undoubtedly end with Congress rifling through the private records of any American.”
The Republican lawmakers add that if the telecommunication companies go against such precedent, they will have to do so to the detriment of Democrats as well.
“We’re calling on companies to preserve the phone [and] communications records of Democrat representatives for future investigative use,” Biggs tweeted.
“It’s time the Far Left lives under the same rules [and] standards they impose,” he added.
Among the Democrats listed in the Republican letter to phone and social media companies are Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) previously warned communication companies against sharing “private data,” something the January 6 committee initially demanded.
McCarthy said providing that data “would put every American with a phone or computer in the crosshairs of a surveillance state run by Democrat politicians.”
The select committee probing the January 6 Capitol incident reportedly requested phone and social media records of dozens of people, including lawmakers such as McCarthy and GOP Rep. Jim Jordan (OH), along with members of President Trump’s family.
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