In what legal experts are calling a “devastating ruling,” Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell of the U.S. District Court in D.C. rejected a motion from Republican congressman Scott Perry, of Pennsylvania, who was trying to keep the Department of Justice from reviewing over 2,000 documents on his phone related to the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Perry, an ardent Trump supporter who continues to peddle the former president’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him, si currently under investigation for his potential role in the January 6, 2021 insurrection.
The congressman filed a motion claiming that the 2,219 documents on his phone were protected by the “speech or debate” clause in the Constitution which shields members of Congress from a criminal investigation into fulfilling their duties.
However, Judge Howell bluntly disagreed and set aside his protestation, the Washington Post reported Friday.
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According to The Post, Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell of the U.S. District Court in D.C. “released a number of previously sealed opinions” after finding that the “powerful public interest” outweighed the need for secrecy in the constitutional battle over Perry’s claims and the historic investigation.
“What is plain is that the Clause does not shield Rep. Perry’s random musings with private individuals touting an expertise in cybersecurity or political discussions with attorneys from a presidential campaign, or with state legislators concerning hearings before them about possible local election fraud or actions they could take to challenge election results in Pennsylvania,” Howell wrote in his ruling.
As noted by The Post, “Perry is a key figure who sought to help Trump replace the attorney general after the 2020 election with former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and get the Justice Department to reverse its finding that Joe Biden had been elected fairly, according to the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol.”
The report also states that the Justice Department “has obtained access to 37 emails between Perry and Trump-connected lawyers John Eastman, who pushed false claims of mass electoral fraud in 2020, Clark and aide Ken Klukowski, as well as 331 documents from Clark about his Jan. 6 role, according to the filings. “
