Chuck Grassley Demands To Know Where 59 Mueller Probe Phones Went: “These reports are troubling and raise concerns about record retention and transparency”
Senator Chuck Grassley is not happy and is demanding answers to what in the heck happened during the Mueller investigation. Grassley has been trying to get to the bottom of the witch hunt for years and he found something that does not compute.
In a letter to the Justice Department Monday, Grassley demanded to know why a majority of the 96 phones assigned to members of the investigation were mysteriously missing, as well as why some of the Special Counsel Office (SCO) phones were apparently not subject to record preservation.
He wrote a letter demanding answers by July 26, 2021. He wrote: “In September 2020 we wrote to the Department of Justice and its Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG) regarding allegations that cell phones assigned to “multiple people on the special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team were ‘wiped’ for various reasons during [the Russia investigation].”
“Based on the OIG’s May 11, 2021, response, we understand that the Department’s Justice Management Division (JMD) provided the OIG with information relating to the Special Counsel’s Office (SCO) cell phone records.
“JMD informed the OIG that 96 phones were assigned to the SCO and JMD currently cannot account for the location of 59 SCO phones. Specifically, shortly after the SCO’s closure, in June 2019, JMD took possession of 79 of 96 phones in an official property transfer from the SCO.
“Of those, it appears that 74 SCO phones were reviewed for official records and these records, including notes and text messages, were sent to DOJ or FBI email systems for preservation.
“Thus, not all the phones were subject to record preservation. The OIG referred our offices to the “Department for any specific records related to these phones or with any follow up questions.”
“Accordingly, please provide the following information no later than July 26, 2021:
“Please provide the “SCO Inventory and Property Transfer Documentation” and any related records in possession of JMD.
“Please provide the names of all SCO employees whose cell phones were not reviewed by JMD for official records.
“Of the 74 SCO cell phones that were reviewed by JMD for official records, how many text messages were sent or received? Please provide all records.
“What actions has JMD taken to recover the 59 SCO phones that the office has not been able to locate?
“Has JMD or any other Department entity reviewed the SCO cell phones to determine whether they were used to leak sensitive or classified information?”
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Grassley Ron Johnson
Read the letter here.
In 2018 I wrote FBI Director Wray w Sens Feinstein & Blumenthal abt the FBI's investigation into gymnasts' sexual abuse allegations against Larry Nassar. 2day I got briefed by IG Horowitz on IG report on FBI handling of this investigation Report unveils serious failures w/in FBI
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 14, 2021
Introd bipartisan bill 2day to help remove barriers & better utilize funding to get broadband connectivity in rural Iowa This bill will streamline process from both the state & federal level to help get expensive & urgent rural broadband projects completed
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 13, 2021