Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, a Trump ally, says FBI agents seized his cellphone

Ella Lee, USA TODAY
·2 min read
Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., questions Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on April 28.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., said in a statement that while traveling Thursday morning with his family, his cellphone was confiscated by three FBI agents carrying a search warrant.

He compared the action to the Monday search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, describing it as “banana republic tactics.”

“They made no attempt to contact my lawyer, who would have made arrangements for them to have my phone if that was their wish,” Perry said. “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.”

The circumstances surrounding the seizure were not immediately known. The FBI declined to comment on the matter. USA TODAY requested comment from Perry's office.

Perry is one of a handful of House Republicans who allegedly helped the former president in his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Jan. 6 committee: Scott Perry, GOP congressman, refuses to cooperate with Jan. 6 investigation committee

Presidential pardons: At least 5 House Republicans sought pardons after Jan. 6, including Brooks, Gaetz, testimony reveals

The Pennsylvania lawmaker said in January 2021 that he introduced Trump and Department of Justice lawyer Jeffrey Clark, a top Justice official who was pushing Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud. Clark drafted a letter urging officials in six states won by Biden to submit a different group of electors who supported Trump, according to evidence shown by the Jan. 6 committee.

Former senior Justice Department officials have testified that Perry had “an important role” in Trump’s effort to try to install Clark as the acting attorney general. Other administration lawyers rejected the idea as “asinine” and potentially criminal, and Trump relented only after top Justice Department and White House lawyers threatened to resign in protest.

Perry was one of five Congress members to request a pardon from the former president after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, according to testimony from former White House officials during the Jan. 6 hearings.

Fox News first reported the seizure of Scott's cellphone.

Contributing: Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rep. Scott Perry, Trump ally, says FBI agents seized his cellphone

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