Republicans slam telecom officials over phone records access in Trump probe, calling it an "outrageous" and "appalling" invasion of lawmakers' privacy.
Lawmakers from both parties clashed at a Senate Judiciary hearing on Tuesday as representatives from major telecommunications companies defended their role in providing prosecutors with phone records of certain sitting members of Congress. The records were obtained by special counsel Jack Smith's team as part of the investigation into President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Josh Hawley, decry the actions, stating that they think companies like Verizon and AT&T have overstepped their bounds in handing over sensitive information without adequate context or notice. The lawmakers argued that the company's processes could have been better suited to meet what was a unique set of circumstances.
However, lawyers for the companies stressed that they followed the law by turning over records under a subpoena, even acknowledging that more could be done to respect lawmakers' expectations of privacy. Chris Miller, senior vice president and general counsel at Verizon, stated that his company complied with the request but also noted that processes can be improved to meet unique circumstances.
The investigation has yielded phone records for 20 current or former Republican members of Congress, including those who were contacted by Trump on January 6, 2021, as they certified his election loss. The records showed when calls were placed and how long they lasted but did not capture the content of conversations.
Democrats dismissed Republican outrage, citing the violence that occurred during the January 6 storming of the Capitol. Several lawmakers testified that collecting toll records is standard in criminal investigations and understandable given Trump's efforts to reach lawmakers.
Despite these claims, one former Justice Department prosecutor suggested that Republicans were "unhappy" about having their information collected but added that they "were not harmed." Representatives from telecommunications companies acknowledged that some subpoenas did not include identifying information or context but claimed that non-disclosure orders barred them from alerting targeted lawmakers.
Lawmakers from both parties clashed at a Senate Judiciary hearing on Tuesday as representatives from major telecommunications companies defended their role in providing prosecutors with phone records of certain sitting members of Congress. The records were obtained by special counsel Jack Smith's team as part of the investigation into President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Josh Hawley, decry the actions, stating that they think companies like Verizon and AT&T have overstepped their bounds in handing over sensitive information without adequate context or notice. The lawmakers argued that the company's processes could have been better suited to meet what was a unique set of circumstances.
However, lawyers for the companies stressed that they followed the law by turning over records under a subpoena, even acknowledging that more could be done to respect lawmakers' expectations of privacy. Chris Miller, senior vice president and general counsel at Verizon, stated that his company complied with the request but also noted that processes can be improved to meet unique circumstances.
The investigation has yielded phone records for 20 current or former Republican members of Congress, including those who were contacted by Trump on January 6, 2021, as they certified his election loss. The records showed when calls were placed and how long they lasted but did not capture the content of conversations.
Democrats dismissed Republican outrage, citing the violence that occurred during the January 6 storming of the Capitol. Several lawmakers testified that collecting toll records is standard in criminal investigations and understandable given Trump's efforts to reach lawmakers.
Despite these claims, one former Justice Department prosecutor suggested that Republicans were "unhappy" about having their information collected but added that they "were not harmed." Representatives from telecommunications companies acknowledged that some subpoenas did not include identifying information or context but claimed that non-disclosure orders barred them from alerting targeted lawmakers.
... i mean, i get it, investigations are important and all that, but do telecoms really have to give out everyone's personal info without asking? 
i'm not saying they shouldn't be held accountable or anything, but come on, senators can barely control their own lives 
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i feel like we're just living in a world where anyone with power can get whatever info they want and do whatever they please... it's just not right 
.
, like seriously how can these telecom companies just hand over someone's private phone records without warning? It's like they're playing both sides... I mean Verizon and AT&T are saying we followed the law but then you got all these Republicans going ballistic on Twitter about it 
. It's like, they're supposed to be the ones protecting us, right? But it seems like they're also getting caught up in their own politics. The fact that companies followed the law by handing over records under a subpoena still doesn't sit well with me. I mean, can't we find a better way to balance security and privacy? 
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. And the fact that they're not even telling us who was on those calls? Come on! It sounds like they're hiding something behind this "subpoena" thingy 
. I mean, I'm no expert, but I know my rights, you know? And it's just not right that these companies are getting to decide what information is safe for us lawmakers. I've got a bad feeling about this... like, there's gotta be more to the story than we're seeing 
It's not like they're hiding anything from each other.
But no, we need special laws and subpoenas and all that jazz. Give me a break! 
but honestly, if you've got nothing to hide, why not? 
. It's not like they're just snooping around for gossip. The whole point is to figure out if Trump did or didn't try to rig the election 
. I think telecom officials are being way too cautious and not recognizing that sometimes, investigations need to dig deep into records to get to the truth 
. That being said, I do hope there's some kind of transparency around how these subpoenas were handled and if there's any chance of improving processes for future investigations 
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. I get that Republicans are upset, but can't they see that the law is still the law? And let's be real, if you're a public figure like Trump, then you should expect some level of scrutiny 
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. I get it, the whole January 6 thing was wild, but does that justify this level of secrecy? Not to me 
. Newsflash: if you're not doing anything wrong, then why should your private info be shared with the feds? And what's with these companies just complying with a subpoena like it's no big deal? "Oh, we followed the law" yeah right... Like, who actually reads that stuff? 
. Lawmakers need to know what's going on too, you know? And btw, what's the big deal about Trump's calls? Was he planning something crazy?