Watchdog group asks to unseal records of DOJ's subpoenas of congressional staffers' messages

EXCLUSIVE: A watchdog group is asking a national tribunal to unseal documents related to nan Justice Department’s subpoenas of nan individual telephone and email records of members of Congress and during nan Trump-Russia investigation, Fox News Digital has learned. 

Empower Oversight Whistleblowers & Research revenge a motion, first obtained by Fox News Digital, successful nan U.S. District Court for nan District of Columbia Thursday, saying nan matter is "of important nationalist interest." 

The mobility besides revealed nan nondisclosure orders that nan DOJ imposed upon Google to forestall nan tech elephantine from notifying users that their records were targeted.

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The first lawsuit was renewed 3 consequent times targeting legislature unit and members of Congress from some governmental parties, Empower Oversight says. 

Jason Foster, nan laminitis of Empower Oversight, received announcement successful October 2023 that nan Justice Department had obtained and served a lawsuit connected Google successful 2017 for records associated pinch his Google email reside and 2 Google Voice telephone numbers connected to his family’s phones and his charismatic activity phone. 

The Justice Department reportedly barred Google from notifying definite legislature unit members of subpoenas connected their records (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

At nan time, Foster worked successful nan U.S. Senate arsenic nan main investigative counsel to nan Senate Judiciary Committee, past chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley. 

The DOJ’s lawsuit to Google compelled nan institution to merchandise records related to Foster’s Google accounts, arsenic good arsenic nan records of different Google customers. 

"Based connected further discussions pinch nan U.S. Senate Office of Legal Counsel, DOJ’s Office of Inspector General, erstwhile colleagues of Mr. Foster’s who besides received notices, and attorneys for Google, it appears that nan different accounts listed successful nan lawsuit belonged to different staffers, some Republicans and Democrats, for U.S. House and Senate committees that were likewise engaged successful oversight of DOJ pursuant to their law authorities," nan filing states. 

Empower Oversight said nan DOJ "withheld that important discourse from Google" and questioned whether nan agency besides withheld that accusation from nan court. 

The quality of nan records nan DOJ obtained "could easy alteration DOJ to place confidential whistleblowers who were providing Congress pinch accusation astir authorities misconduct," Empower Oversight said. 

"There are aggregate layers of secrecy opinionated betwixt nan nationalist and important documents that nan Department of Justice revenge successful this case," nan filing states, calling for nan unsealing of records related to nan investigation. 

One staffer whose communications were allegedly subpoenaed formerly worked for nan Senate Judiciary Committee, past chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Justice Department "obtained a lawsuit and later requested and received non-disclosure orders [NDOs] that prohibited Google Inc. from notifying ‘any different personification of nan beingness of’ nan subpoena," nan filing states. 

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"Accordingly, nan nationalist is deprived of learning what ground (if any) DOJ offered successful support of its NDO requests," nan filing states.

The subpoenas, according to Empower Oversight, look to beryllium related to nan leak of confidential information, which resulted successful nan prosecution and blameworthy plea of erstwhile Senate Intelligence Committee Security Director James Wolfe. 

After Wolfe’s condemnation for making a mendacious connection to nan FBI, nan Justice Department requested 3 further one-year renewals of nan non-disclosure bid pinch nan court.

The Justice Department reportedly barred Google from notifying definite legislature unit members of subpoenas connected their records (Reuters)

Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa; Ted Cruz of Texas; and Mike Lee of Utah began investigating nan subpoenas and DOJ’s efforts to cod nan backstage telephone and email logs successful November aft Empower Oversight’s Freedom of Information Act petition revealed nan postulation of those records while some House and Senate lawmakers investigated nan origins of nan Trump-Russia probe during nan Trump administration.

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Back successful 2018, then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein threatened to lawsuit individual records belonging to staffers for nan House Intelligence Committee during a confrontation complete nan Justice Department’s "failure to comply pinch nan committee’s compulsory process," nan senators revealed successful November. 

A spokesperson for Google did not remark connected nan Empower Oversight filing directly, but told Fox News Digital that nan institution has seen an summation successful non-disclosure orders from national prosecutors.

"We’re seeing non-disclosure orders issued for an expanding number of tribunal orders, warrants, and subpoenas from U.S. authorities. Delayed announcement results successful users not having nan opportunity to asseverate their authorities successful tribunal to title demands for their data. For these reasons, we support nan bipartisan NDO Fairness Act, which would guarantee that gag orders are issued only erstwhile warranted and for reasonable periods," a spokesperson for Google said successful a statement.

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The Justice Department declined to comment. 

The investigation that prompted nan subpoenas began nether nan Trump administration.