People are calling for the arrest of former President Donald Trump and former attorney general William Barr after new bombshell report by The New York Times revealed that the Department of Justice under President Donald Trump acquired subpoenas to seize data from Democratic members of Congress and their families, including House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA) and second-in-command Eric Swalwell (D-CA).
According to The Times, Trump administration officials subpoenaed Apple for data on accounts belonging to at least two Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, congressional aides and their family members to find who was behind the leaks of classified information.
Committee officials and sources with knowledge of the inquiry told newspaper that records belonging to at least a dozen people, including House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), were seized in 2017 and 2018. Data that belonged to family members, including at least one minor, was also seized.
One source told the Times that Apple turned over metadata and account information, but did not provide photos, emails or other content.
According to the Times, prosecutors under former Attorney General Jeff Sessions were looking to identify sources who were speaking to members of the media about contact between Trump associates and Russia.
The data seized in the investigations ultimately did not connect the Intelligence Committee to the information leaks; however, William Barr later revived the investigation, moving a trusted New Jersey prosecutor, Osmar Benvenuto, into the main branch of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to continue the investigation into Schiff and around half a dozen other people, according to the Times.
In a statement to the Times, Schiff said former President Trump had used the DOJ as a “cudgel against his political opponents and members of the media.”
“It is increasingly apparent that those demands did not fall on deaf ears,” Schiff said. “The politicization of the department and the attacks on the rule of law are among the most dangerous assaults on our democracy carried out by the former president.”
The revelation caused an explosion of national outrage, with affected members of Congress calling for an immediate investigation into the policy. And commenters on social media all over the country demanded answers and accountability for Trump and former Attorney General William Barr, who presided over this data collection.
Trump repeatedly demanded the DOJ go after his political enemies.
It's clear his demands didn't fall on deaf ears.
This baseless investigation, while now closed, is yet another example of Trump's corrupt weaponization of justice.
And how much he imperiled our democracy.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) June 11, 2021
Deeply saddened that Robert Muller’s cowardice failed this country, and in particular those patriots like you who stood up to preserve our democracy.
God knows whom else they went after.
Please demand from DOJ that all misconduct be made public.
— Ben Smith (@CRCBen) June 11, 2021
Subpoena Barr. Charge Trump. Dems have subpoena power. Clean out the DOJ. This is insanity.
— SarahCA (@SarahBCalif) June 11, 2021
It’s embarrassing how much crime is being discovered yet nobody is being held accountable. What a farce.
— i’m buddy rich when i fly off the handle ⚜️🏈🍀 (@defensiveshok) June 11, 2021
Drag Barr down to testify to @HouseJudiciary @tedlieu
Enough is Enough. We learn more about outrageous crimes and there’s no accountability.
Trump and Barr ARE INDEED above the law.
— medit8now (@medit8now) June 11, 2021
This just confirms, AGAIN, that when Trump falsely accuses someone of doing something, that means he's the one actually doing it.
Remember when Obama was supposedly spying on him?
— Octavius McKool (@OctaviusMcKool) June 11, 2021
This is 10 times worse than Watergate. An extreme abuse of power by FBI, DOJ and President Trump.
— EJAusten (@ej_austen) June 11, 2021
We need Justice on the Congressman. It's horrifying and scary to know this is what this evil man was doing in office. He must be held accountable or we cannot move forward as a country and our Democracy is doomed. The world is watching.
— Suzie Abeshima (@SAbeshima) June 11, 2021
He was using Putin's playbook. Let's stop being nice and call it like it was.
— Suzy23 (@Suzy2313922857) June 11, 2021
If Merrick Garland is unwilling to prosecute Donald Trump for Obstruction of Justice, inciting a deadly attack to overthrow the Government, and countless other crimes, the Rule of Law is meaningless and Democracy is a sham.
— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) June 10, 2021
