Jordan Alleges Unauthorized Surveillance by Biden’s Justice Department
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan disclosed on Thursday that the Justice Department under former President Joe Biden had secretly monitored his phone records for two years in connection with an inquiry into the Arctic Frost incident.
The Ohio Republican is the latest member of Congress known to be included in an investigation led by former special counsel Jack Smith, part of his broader probe into the events of January 6, 2021, which culminated in the indictment of former President Trump.
“They were spying on President Trump. They were spying on senators. And now, it turns out they were spying on me,” Jordan remarked on X, exclaiming that if they can engage in such actions, then anyone could too.
A grand jury order, issued to Verizon by prosecutor Timothy Durie of Smith’s team, called for Jordan’s “call detail records,” covering everything from text messages to voicemails, starting from January 1, 2020. This information was requested on April 25, 2022, according to documents shared by Jordan.
The subpoena mandated that Verizon submit records from that date onwards, including details on payment methods, billing records, call duration, location data, and IP addresses.
Additionally, the subpoena came with a nondisclosure order signed by Judge David A. Baker, which required Verizon to keep this request confidential. The order expressed concerns that revealing such information could lead to witness intimidation, destruction of evidence, and other risks that might jeopardize the ongoing investigation.
In a conversation with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Jordan labeled the subpoenas as “ridiculous” and characterized them as a prime example of the government being weaponized against individuals.
He expressed his outrage, stating, “From as far back as January 2020, they tracked who I called, who called me, the timing of our calls, and even my location during those conversations. This data was accumulated over a 28-month period.”
Jordan mentioned that, as it stands, Smith’s team has not accessed the content of his texts or calls.
Recently, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) accused the FBI and the Justice Department of using the Arctic Frost inquiry to unjustly probe the Republican political apparatus. He previously noted that the Justice Department was pursuing subpoenas for phone records belonging to at least ten Republican senators, including notable figures like former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Rep. Scott Perry, along with Senators Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz.
