Rep. Scott Perry Sues to Prevent Justice Department From Accessing His Phone

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Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, has sued to prevent the Department of Justice from accessing his phone.

Politico first reported on Wednesday the 16-page suit, which was filed on Aug. 18 “but not publicly docketed until late Tuesday.”

Perry’s phone was confiscated by the FBI on Aug. 9, one day after the FBI raided former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, where there allegedly was hundreds of classified documents Trump allegedly took with him to the Florida home when he left office.

“This morning, while traveling with my family, 3 FBI agents visited me and seized my cell phone,” said Perry in a statement to Fox News on Aug. 9. “They made no attempt to contact my lawyer, who would have made arrangements for them to have my phone if that was their wish. I’m outraged — though not surprised — that the FBI under the direction of Merrick Garland’s DOJ, would seize the phone of a sitting Member of Congress.”

“My phone contains info about my legislative and political activities, and personal/private discussions with my wife, family, constituents, and friends,” he added. “None of this is the government’s business.”

In the suit, Perry’s representation, Washington-based JPRowley Law PLLC, requested the Justice Department “return cellular phone data and any other property it seized from that device pursuant to an anticipated second warrant, be prohibited from obtaining records and information associated with the cellular phone that is within the possession, custody and control of AT&T, and issue a temporary restraining order preserving the status quo until these issues can be fully litigated.”