(TargetLiberty.org) – In 2019, Special Counsel Robert Mueller finally cleared former President Donald Trump of wrongdoing in the 2016 election. However, two years later, Republican lawmakers want to know what happened to some of the evidence in that case.
On July 14, Republican Senators Ron Johnson (WI) and Chuck Grassley (IA) sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking for more information after learning 59 of the 96 phones used by Mueller’s team are missing or have been erased. The senators also said the DOJ has not reviewed more than 20 phones for record preservation. Those concerns came after a Freedom of Information Act disclosure found the investigative team was allegedly erasing the data on the phones.
How do you "misplace" or "accidentally" wipe 59 out of 96 phones? 74 of which were in the possession of the DOJ when it happened. Asking for a friend…..not https://t.co/H64CUCKEDu
— MarkZ (@originalmarkz) July 16, 2021
The senators want Garland to provide them with the “Inventory and Property Transfer Documentation” and records related to the names of all employees whose phones weren’t reviewed. They also want to know what’s been done to find the 59 missing phones and also all of the text records used in the investigation.
The FBI and DOJ have faced a number of allegations of wrongdoing in recent years. Republicans have been especially concerned that the top law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies have been mismanaging cases and targeting Conservatives. The case of the missing and wiped cell phones seems to lend further evidence that the agencies are not maintaining proper records or being as transparent as they should. It seems to bolster the Right’s case for reform.
The AG has not yet publicly responded to the letter from the senators, but has until the end of July to do so.
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