The House Judiciary Committee is investigating the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) for its alleged involvement in the Biden administration’s legal campaign targeting President Donald Trump.
The committee, according to a letter sent Tuesday by Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to acting DOJ Inspector General Don Richard Berthiaume Jr., is seeking documents and communications related to the OIG’s role in the 2022 seizure of a cellphone belonging to Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa.
The device was taken as part of the DOJ’s “Arctic Frost” investigation, reports The Federalist on Wednesday.
The probe later evolved into Special Counsel Jack Smith’s probe into Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.
According to the letter, at least one OIG agent was involved in the seizure, and the agency’s lab in Northern Virginia assisted the FBI in conducting a forensic review of Perry’s phone.
“Reports indicate that Representative Perry’s phone ‘was imaged after the search,’ creating a forensic copy of the device’s contents — including communications protected by common-law privileges as well as the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause,” Jordan wrote.
He added that the OIG’s involvement “raises serious concerns” about why it “would be willing to sacrifice its independence to assist the FBI in advancing such a partisan investigation.”
The Judiciary Committee’s probe follows revelations that the FBI, as part of its “Arctic Frost” operation, obtained phone records for eight Republican senators and one GOP House member.
A Senate Judiciary Committee release said the data included call logs, durations, and location information, but not the content of the calls.
“These reports raise concerns about the OIG’s potential involvement in obtaining the Members’ phone records given its prior involvement in obtaining a Member’s cell phone,” the letter stated.
Documents released by the Senate Judiciary Committee also showed that the FBI’s efforts extended beyond lawmakers, targeting conservative organizations and figures associated with Trump.
Subpoenas reportedly sought bank records and communications from individuals, including the Conservative Partnership Institute’s Ed Corrigan, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and attorney Cleta Mitchell, as well as groups such as the Republican National Committee and the America First Policy Institute.
As part of its ongoing investigation, the Judiciary Committee is requesting that Berthiaume provide all communications among OIG, DOJ, and FBI employees related to the seizure of congressional members’ phones or the acquisition of their phone records.
The committee is also calling on the OIG to participate in a briefing with it no later than Nov. 26 to discuss its involvement in the Arctic Frost investigation.
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