A federal judge has ordered Republican congressman Scott Perry to turn over nearly 1,700 records from his phone to special counsel prosecutors. This move is in relation to the investigation into the extent of his role in Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, as well as removing justice department officials.
The chief US district judge James Boasberg, who oversees grand jury matters in federal court in Washington DC, allowed prosecutors to access the majority of the records that the FBI pulled from Perry’s phone. The device was seized in response to a court-approved warrant.
Boasberg ordered Perry to produce 1,656 out of 2,055 records and those include discussions about efforts to influence the executive branch and state officials, communications about influencing the conduct of executive branch officials, and discussions about whether to certify the electoral votes on January 6.
Perry has been the subject of special interest by the House select committee investigation into the Capitol attack because of the role he played in introducing a justice department official, Jeffrey Clark, who was sympathetic to Trump’s claims about alleged election fraud, to Donald Trump. This introduction led Clark to propose sending a letter to officials in Georgia that falsely said the justice department was investigating election fraud in the state.
In August, Trump and his top allies – including Clark – were charged by the Fulton county district attorney, Fani Willis, with violating the Georgia racketeering statute over their efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. Trump and Clark have both pleaded not guilty.
The ruling by Boasberg is the latest development in this ongoing investigation and it remains to be seen what the special counsel, Jack Smith, will do with the records. Perry can still appeal the decision and a defense lawyer for Perry declined to say what determinations the congressman might challenge.