The House select committee investigating the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol will reportedly ask telecommunications companies to keep phone records of a group of Republican lawmakers who had some involvement in the “Stop the Steal” rally.
According to CNN, the method the committee will use to compel the companies to cooperate remains unclear. The outlet noted that the committee does have the power to subpoena the companies but requesting the information could result in a legal battle.
Sources told CNN that the group of lawmakers was targeted because they either attended, spoke, planned or encouraged people to attend the rally on January 6.
The group includes, Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Jim Jordan (Ohio), Andy Biggs (Ariz.) Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Mo Brooks (Ala.), Madison Cawthorn (N.C.), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Jody Hice (Ga.), and Scott Perry (Pa.).
The list is reportedly growing and there could be additions as the investigation continues.
Previously, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) penned a letter to Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) voicing his opposition to the reported move.
“Rifling through the call logs of your colleagues would depart from more than 230 years of Congressional oversight. This type of authoritarian undertaking has no place in the House of Representatives and the information you seek has no conceivable legislative purpose,” Banks wrote.
He added, “For those reasons, I am sending a copy of this letter to the Federal Communications Commission and to the General Counsels of AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, Twitter, and Facebook, to remind each of these companies of their legal obligation not to hand over individuals’ private records unless the subject of the subpoena consents to the information being shared or the company has a court order to turn over the records.”
During the rally, the former president told the crowd, “All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by emboldened radical Democrats.”
He added, “We will never give up. We will never concede. It will never happen. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore.”
The House voted to impeach Trump on the charge of “incitement of insurrection” just one week after the riot at the U.S. Capitol. He was then acquitted in the Senate.