COUP CONSPIRACY: FBI serves subpoenas on Pennsylvania Republicans
Federal investigators served subpoenas on several Pennsylvania House and Senate Republicans on Wednesday. Though none are implicated in any crimes, they are considered witnesses to Rep. Scott Perry’s (R-PA) role in trying to illegally overturn the state’s 2020 election results.
According to PennLive, the investigators are also looking into the effort to install “alternate” electors.
Perry’s phone was seized by the FBI on Tuesday in the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into the fake elector scheme and the attempt to overturn Biden’s victory, The Washington Post reported.
An election denier and staunch Trump supporter, Perry was mentioned several times during the Jan. 6 select committee televised hearings.
Former Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen testified that the congressman wanted him to investigate baseless claims that an Italian defense contractor conspired with top CIA officials to “flip” votes from Trump to Biden.
Perry has denied the accusations, though former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson said under oath that he had a conversation with former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows about Trump possibly going to the Capitol after his speech at the Ellipse on Jan. 6th. Perry was one of several House Republicans who sought a pre-emptive pardon from Trump before the outgoing President left office.
Spokespersons for the Pennsylvania lawmakers who were reportedly served the subpoenas didn’t confirm they received them.
“I am unaware of any FBI presence in the Capitol or Leader Benninghoff’s office yesterday. To the extent House members or staff may have been contacted by the FBI, we would not comment on a potential or ongoing investigation,” said Jason Gottesman, a spokesman for House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre County, and the chamber’s Republican caucus.
Jason Thompson, the spokesman for Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R-Centre County), said in a statement:
“Federal subpoenas typically request confidentiality from the witnesses being subpoenaed in order to avoid impediment to the ongoing investigation, so it would be inappropriate to comment on whether members have received subpoenas or not. If subpoenaed as witnesses, our members will certainly comply with requests for documents or information not covered by an applicable privilege.”
Thompson also said he had no reason to believe that those subpoenaed were targets of the federal probe, saying “We have no indication that any of our members are targets of any FBI investigation.”
After complaining about the seizure of his phone on Tuesday, Rep. Perry released a statement late Wednesday that he was told he’s not the target of the Justice Department’s probe.
“In a discussion with the DOJ (federal Department of Justice), my attorneys were informed that I’m not a target of its investigation,” Perry said.
Perry has been connected to former Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Clark who wanted to send letters to top election officials in swing states asking them to consider appointing alternate electors to give Trump the votes cast for Biden – and that it was he who introduced Clark to Trump in 2020, according to the House Select Committee.
Original reporting by Jan Murphy and Charles Thompson at PennLive.
Follow Ty Ross on Twitter @cooltxchick
