The House Judiciary Committee is investigating the Justice Department Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) alleged participation in the Biden administration’s lawfare against President Trump.
Committee Chair Jim Jordan requested Acting DOJ IG Don Richard Berthiaume Jr. provide records on the OIG’s role in seizing Rep. Scott Perry’s cell phone in 2022, part of the Arctic Frost inquiry that evolved into Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation.
Jordan noted that at least one OIG agent was involved in Perry’s phone seizure and that the OIG’s Northern Virginia lab assisted the FBI in creating a forensic copy of the device, including communications protected under common-law privileges and the Speech or Debate Clause. He questioned why the OIG would compromise its independence to aid a partisan investigation.
The letter also cites revelations that the FBI obtained phone records of eight GOP senators and a Republican House member, raising concerns about potential OIG involvement given its prior role in Perry’s case. Documents show that both Republican lawmakers and conservative organizations, including the Conservative Partnership Institute, Mark Meadows, Cleta Mitchell, the RNC, and America First Policy Institute, were targeted with subpoenas for bank records and communications.
Jordan demanded all communications between the OIG, DOJ, and FBI related to the seizure of congressional phones or acquisition of phone records, and requested an OIG briefing on its Arctic Frost involvement by 5 p.m. on Nov. 26.
