U.S. Justice Dept seeks to search Republican congressman's cellphone in Jan. 6 probe
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Justice Department attorneys were expected to urge a federal appeals court on Thursday to let investigators search a Republican congressman's cellphone as part of Special Counsel Jack Smith's probe into efforts by then-President Donald Trump to overturn the result of the 2020 election.
U.S. Representative Scott Perry - a Trump ally who helped spread his fellow Republican's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud - has sought to block the Department of Justice (DOJ) from reviewing the contents of his cellphone since it was seized last summer.
Perry's lawyers, John Rowley and John Irving, were seen in the lobby of the federal courthouse in Washington early Thursday morning.
At the heart of the legal dispute is whether the contents of his cellphone are shielded from disclosure under the U.S. Constitution's speech and debate clause. That provision gives Congress members immunity from civil litigation or criminal prosecution for actions that arise in the course of their legislative duties.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/u-s-justice-dept-seeks-to-search-republican-congressman-s-cellphone-in-jan-6-probe/ar-AA17QA0O
But your honor overthrowing the government is part of my legislative duties.
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