Congressional investigators obtained an estimated 30 million lines of phone data mapping communications between conservatives and the Trump White House during the January 6 investigation, a massive surveillance effort that raises serious privacy concerns.
The collection was disclosed in late 2023, when former Rep. Adam Kinzinger offered the trove to the FBI without a warrant, according to a bureau memo reviewed by Just the News. Kinzinger told agents the data had been compiled by former Rep. Denver Riggleman, who helped the Democrat-run committee use congressional subpoenas to collect telephone “toll information,” including White House switchboard numbers. It remains unclear whether the FBI accepted the offer.
Kinzinger said Riggleman identified “certain telephone connections” between White House numbers and private individuals. The FBI memo stated that Riggleman may have received little direction on how to handle the roughly 30 million lines of data.
The memo, recently uncovered by FBI Director Kash Patel, drew attention because the outreach occurred in December 2023—nearly a year after the Jan. 6 panel had dissolved and just weeks before the 2024 primary season began. Agents noted that Kinzinger appeared eager to assist the bureau as Congress had yet to determine what to do with the vast data set.
One or more FBI records from 2023 revealed preliminary “toll analysis” on phone data linked to multiple Republican lawmakers, including Sens. Ron Johnson, Lindsey Graham, Josh Hawley, and others.
