DIGGING FOR DIRT

Trump’s DOJ Was Hunting for Leakers When It Subpoenaed Dem Lawmakers: WSJ

The subpoenas for phone records and emails weren’t aimed at the lawmakers but, rather, at congressional leakers, according to a new report.

The Justice Department in 2018, under the direction of the Trump administration, obtained communication records of Democratic lawmakers because they were in contact with congressional staffers suspected of leaking classified information, The Wall Street Journal reports. The subpoenas were part of a large FBI investigation into classified leaks that were possibly coming from congressional staffers. But, when investigators sought records for certain staffers, they also unwittingly obtained information on lawmakers who were among the staffers’ contacts, like Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell, both of whom weren’t subjects of the investigation. Apple has since said they were subpoenas to provide information on 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses.

Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, have claimed privately that they had no knowledge of the subpoenas.