DOJ watchdog will probe reported Trump-era subpoenas of Apple for Democrats’ data

Apple was kept silent by a gag order that expired this year, according to the newspaper. The tech giant did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment about the Times’ report.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco referred the matter to the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General, or OIG, an agency official told CNBC earlier Friday.

Monaco, the No. 2 official in the Justice Department, was confirmed by the Senate in April. Horowitz has served as inspector general since 2012.

Horowitz’s statement Friday said his probe “will examine the Department’s compliance with applicable DOJ policies and procedures, and whether any such uses, or the investigations, were based upon improper considerations.

“If circumstances warrant, the OIG will consider other issues that may arise during the review,” he said, adding, “The review will not substitute the OIG’s judgment for the legal and investigative judgments made in the matters under OIG review.”

The Times’ article came weeks after reports that the Trump administration had secretly obtained records from journalists at multiple news outlets.

Schiff on Thursday night called for investigation into the Trump DOJ’s actions on “this and other cases that suggest the weaponization of law enforcement by a corrupt president.”

Trump “tried to use the Department as a cudgel against his political opponents and members of the media,” Schiff said in a statement. “It is increasingly apparent that those demands did not fall on deaf ears.”

Swalwell in his own statement said Apple informed him last month that his records had been turned over to the Trump administration “as part of a politically motivated investigation into his perceived enemies.”

“Like many of the world’s most despicable dictators, former President Trump showed an utter disdain for our democracy and the rule of law,” Swalwell said. “This kind of conduct is unacceptable, but unfortunately on brand for a president who has repeatedly shown he would cast aside our Constitution for his own personal gain.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., added Friday that Congress must seek testimony from Sessions and Barr.

“The revelation that the Trump Justice Department secretly subpoenaed metadata of House Intelligence Committee Members and staff and their families, including a minor, is shocking,” Schumer and Durbin said in a joint statement Friday.

“This is a gross abuse of power and an assault on the separation of powers. This appalling politicization of the Department of Justice by Donald Trump and his sycophants must be investigated immediately by both the DOJ Inspector General and Congress,” the Senate leaders said.

“Former Attorneys General Barr and Sessions and other officials who were involved must testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee under oath. If they refuse, they are subject to being subpoenaed and compelled to testify under oath,” Schumer and Durbin said.

Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., also joined the calls for a full investigation, and said he plans to introduce legislation to increase transparency and reform the “abuse of gag orders.”

“The current Justice Department needs to act with much greater urgency both to reveal abuses and ensure full accountability for those responsible,” Wyden said.

Read the full report from The New York Times.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/11/schiff-calls-for-probe-into-trump-doj-seizing-house-democrats-data-.html