FBI seizes cellphone of Pennsylvania congressman investigated in Capitol riot probe News
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FBI seizes cellphone of Pennsylvania congressman investigated in Capitol riot probe

The FBI Tuesday seized Pennsylvania Congressman Scott Perry’s cell phone, potentially in furtherance of the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) investigation into the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. In an exclusive statement to Fox News, Perry confirmed that FBI agents approached him with a warrant and requested his cellphone. The seizure comes only one day after the FBI searched former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence at Mar-a-Lago.

Perry was at the center of multiple events surrounding the Capitol riot. He took part in Trump’s campaign to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to testimony from the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the US Capitol and a report from the Senate Judiciary Committee. In her testimony before the select committee, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson also said that Perry requested a pardon from Trump following the events on January 6.

FBI agents approached Perry Tuesday while he was traveling with his family. Neither the FBI nor the DOJ commented on the seizure. Perry said “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.”

The select committee previously asked Perry to provide information from his cell phone relating to certain events surrounding the Capitol riot. Specifically, the select committee alleged that other witnesses indicated Perry attempted to install a new acting Attorney General to declare the 2020 election results invalid, communicated with former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and discussed the false conspiracy theory that Dominion voting machines were corrupted with White House staff. The select committee also obtained information that Perry used an encrypted messaging app known as Signal to communicate with Meadows in the lead-up to January 6.

Though the DOJ and FBI have not specifically commented on the purpose of the seizure, media outlets speculate it is related to the events surrounding January 6.

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