One day after the FBI raided former President Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago, agents confronted U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) and seized his cell phone while the congressman was at an airport with his family. Three FBI agents approached Perry, handed over a warrant for his cell phone, and then seized the mobile device — apparently without previously trying to contact his attorney.
In a statement, Perry slammed the seizure and the Biden administration's politicization of the Justice Department. "This morning, while traveling with my family, 3 FBI agents visited me and seized my cell phone," Perry recounted. "They made no attempt to contact my lawyer, who would have made arrangements for them to have my phone if that was their wish."
"I’m outraged — though not surprised — that the FBI under the direction of Merrick Garland’s DOJ, would seize the phone of a sitting Member of Congress," Rep. Perry continued. "My phone contains info about my legislative and political activities, and personal/private discussions with my wife, family, constituents, and friends. None of this is the government’s business," he added.
Perry, a close ally of Trump, continued by connecting his run-in with the FBI to the raid on Mar-A-Lago, saying the "DOJ chose this unnecessary and aggressive action instead of simply contacting my attorneys," adding that "these kinds of banana republic tactics should concern every Citizen — especially considering the decision before Congress this week to hire 87,000 new IRS agents to further persecute law-abiding Citizens."
Perry, like many Republicans in Congress, is not a fan of Attorney General Merrick Garland. In a twist to the story, Perry introduced articles of impeachment against Garland in October of 2021. Perry's two articles of impeachment were based on the DOJ's ongoing work at the time to label parents speaking out against woke indoctrination and exclusion of parents in educational decisions as domestic terrorists, and his protection of diversity, equity, and inclusion-focused education that raised a conflict of interest with his son-in-law.
"Attorney General Garland has failed to faithfully uphold his oath and has instead presided over a reckless and corrosive politicization of the Department of Justice at the expense of our Nation’s children," Perry's impeachment resolution explained.
If the Biden administration wants to pretend that it is not using the Department of Justice and FBI as a weapon to go after its political opponents, they should probably start their crusade against Republicans somewhere other than the likely 2024 opponent to Joe Biden and a Republican member of Congress who pushed to impeach the attorney general.