GOP Rep. Perry drops lawsuit requesting return of cell phone data seized by FBI - KTSM 9 News

by: Rebecca Beitsch

Posted: Oct 27, 2022 / 10:00 AM MDT

Updated: Oct 27, 2022 / 10:00 AM MDT

Rep. Scott Perry (R-Penn.) has moved to driblet his suit against the Justice Department seeking the instrumentality of his compartment telephone information aft it was seized by the FBI.

The Wednesday question to the tribunal did not supply a rationale for seeking to disregard the suit, but follows a precocious August filing asking for further clip to negociate with DOJ. 

Perry’s telephone appeared to person been concisely seized successful transportation with the DOJ’s probe into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot pursuing the seizure of the phones of 2 attorneys moving intimately with erstwhile President Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 election. 

Perry had claimed his telephone contains privileged material, thing helium says would interruption the Constitution’s Speech and Debate Clause, which protects members of Congress for actions taken successful the people of their job. He besides claims his telephone contains accusation covered by attorney-client privilege and marital privilege.

An aboriginal August filing indicated Perry rejected an connection by the DOJ to reappraisal the contents of the telephone jointly truthful agelong arsenic helium waived immoderate Speech oregon Debate Clause protections. But different question aboriginal that period sought much clip to “allow the parties to further sermon the anticipation of resolving” the issue.

Perry’s lawyers did not instantly respond to petition for comment.

Perry’s telephone was seized successful August portion helium was connected abrogation with his family. His telephone was returned the aforesaid time aft authorities made a transcript of the data.

Perry introduced Trump to Jeffrey Clark, past an adjunct lawyer wide astatine the DOJ. Trump astatine the clip weighed installing Clark, who was consenting to guardant investigations into Trump’s baseless claims of predetermination fraud, arsenic lawyer general. The 2 men had their phones seized by the FBI conscionable a fewer weeks apart.