John Eastman appears on screen during a hearing by the House select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on June 21. (Mandel Ngan / AFP / Getty Images)
The FBI seized the phone number of former Donald Trump election lawyer John Eastman last week, according to a new court document from the Conservative lawyer.
Eastman revealed the search and confiscation in federal court in a lawsuit he filed Monday in New Mexico, calling it inappropriate.
The revelation highlights the aggressive steps the Justice Department has taken in recent weeks as part of its ongoing criminal investigation.
Federal agents in the Office of the Attorney General of the Department of Justice, who is coordinating with the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s broader investigation into January 6, 2021, last week attacked the home of former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, a source previously known to CNN said. This search, during which the involvement of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice had not been previously reported, took place on the same day as Eastman’s.
The inspector general investigates allegations of legal violations by Justice Department employees and has the capacity to conduct searches and confiscations. Following the investigation, the inspector general can refer possible criminal cases to prosecutors.
Eastman’s lawyers cited a reference to the order in the inspector general’s office that could analyze the contents of the phone, although it is not yet clear to what extent the dog may be involved in his case. .
Neither Eastman nor Clark have been charged with any crime.
Clark’s attorneys have not responded to requests for comment. A spokesman for the DOJ inspector general’s office declined to comment Monday.
Last Wednesday, about six federal investigators approached Eastman in New Mexico as he was leaving a restaurant after dinner with his wife and a friend, according to court documents. He was stroked and “forced to provide [facial] biometric data to “open” the phone, Eastman’s court record said.
Officers were able to access Eastman’s email accounts on his iPhone 12 Pro, according to documents.
Eastman is the latest person whose communications have become part of extensive Department of Justice investigations related to the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol.
Eastman claims officers “forced” him to unlock his phone.
In court, he is asking a federal judge to force the Justice Department to return his property, destroy the records they have obtained and suspend access to the investigators ’phone.
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