The Department of Justice’s battle to obtain GOP Rep. Scott Perry’s texts for their probe into 2020 election interference is intensifying, according to CNN. Perry texted several top Trump administration officials after the presidential election, including sending lengthy instructions to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows from a supposed “cyber forensic team.” After the DOJ seized his phone in August, Perry sued the department and the case was put under seal. But, according to CNN, the DOJ’s plan was to “image” the phone with an initial warrant, then get a second warrant to access the data. The status of those attempts is unclear. However, CNN reporters saw Perry’s lawyers and DOJ investigators face off in court in mid-October for a hearing that was closed to the public. In his lawsuit, Perry argued some of the contents of his phone were shielded under the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause, which protects speech by members of Congress.
