Court Rules Trump Ally’s 2020 Election Phone Calls Are Off-Limits
BLOCKED
The judges determined that prosecutors’ efforts to seize Rep. Scott Perry’s phone communications violated his immunity under the Constitution as a member of Congress.
Special counsel Jack Smith will be barred from accessing a Republican representative’s phone calls with other GOPers in Congress and Trump White House officials, an appeals court ruled in a newly unsealed filing. The judges determined that prosecutors’ efforts to seize Rep. Scott Perry’s (R-PA) phone communications violated his immunity under the Constitution’s Speech or Debate clause, which protects him from legal proceedings related to his Congressional duties. “While elections are political events, a Member’s deliberation about whether to certify a presidential election or how to assess information relevant to legislation about federal election procedures are textbook legislative acts,” Trump-appointed Judge Neomi Rao wrote last week. Smith’s office declined to comment, and it is unclear if he will attempt to appeal the decision. The FBI initially got their hands on Perry’s phone under a search warrant in Aug. 2022, but prosecutors sought a second search warrant to be able to review Perry’s contacts with other members of Congress, Trump officials, and allies connected to the 2020 election.
