New Revelations on Phone Surveillance
Add Representative Jim Jordan’s name to the expanding roster of congressional Republicans and prominent GOP figures who have been monitored by President Biden’s Justice Department.
Mr. Jordan, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, has disclosed documents indicating that the Biden Justice Department secretly subpoenaed his phone records in April 2022 as part of its ongoing “Arctic Frost” investigation into President Trump’s actions during his first term.
The Justice Department secured a grand jury subpoena compelling Verizon to provide Mr. Jordan’s phone records, which included details on inbound and outbound calls, text messages, direct communications, voicemail messages, addresses, payment sources, IP addresses, and location data.
This extensive request sought records dating back to January 2020—well before the conclusion of Mr. Trump’s first term and prior to the contentious aftermath of the 2020 election that triggered the Arctic Frost inquiry.
Verizon was instructed not to inform Mr. Jordan about this subpoena from the Justice Department.
Mr. Jordan now joins a list of Republican senators and House GOP members whose phone records were also secretly subpoenaed by Biden’s administration.
Special Counsel Jack Smith and his team issued an additional 197 subpoenas seeking communications from over 430 individuals and organizations—all appearing to be affiliated with the Republican Party.
The individuals targeted include Trump advisers Stephen Miller and Dan Scavino, as well as Jared Kushner and Lara Trump—who served in various capacities during Trump’s administration or campaign. The subpoenas also sought statistical data related to GOP fundraising efforts and communications with major media outlets such as CBS and Fox News.
The records of more than a dozen members of Congress were secretly subpoenaed but only revealed in May 2023.
Among those affected was Lindsey Graham, then-chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee; former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy; and Senator Rick Scott—all unaware their records were under covert government examination.
A grand jury or judge mandated that these phone companies keep this information hidden from lawmakers.
“They spied on President Trump. They spied on Senators. Now we just learned they spied on me,” Mr. Jordan stated. If they can do it to us, they can do it to you.”
The lawmakers subjected to surveillance are known supporters of Trump and generally backed his efforts following the 2020 election results questioning Biden’s narrow victories in swing states.
The majority of subpoenas uncovered thus far sought a limited timeframe for records from January 4 to January 7, 2021—dates closely associated with the January 6 Capitol riot that became central to the Arctic Frost investigation.
The rationale behind seeking such an extensive range for Mr. Jordan’s phone records remains unclear; this request extended back a full year prior to Trump’s first term ending.
