This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) has asked Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel to release a trove of data, transcripts and names relating to an FBI investigation into her phone records that took place in 2023.
In a letter to Patel, Lummis requested a wide array of information, including “All FBI and [Department of Justice] DOJ records that identify which members of the Biden Administration authorized or approved the surveillance of my phone records.”
Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee released a document revealing the FBI pulled phone records and data related to “Election Law Matters” from nine elected officials between Jan. 4 and Jan. 7, 2021. The FBI labeled the operation Arctic Frost.
“That data shows when and to whom a call is made, as well as the duration and general location data of the call. The data does not include the content of the call,” a press release from the committee said.
Lummis claimed this violated the Speech and Debate Clause of the Constitution, a clause broadly interpreted to provide immunity to congressional officials for their legislative duties.
She asked Patel to also share the entire data file collected on her, the legal statutes used to justify the FBI’s investigation and where her data may have been shared.
“I believe that the surveillance of sitting United States Senators by the executive branch represents one of the most serious infringements on the separation of powers in American history. It seriously impinges on both my civil rights and my constitutional duties as a legislator, especially since this surveillance was directly connected to core legislative activities protected by the Speech or Debate Clause of the United States Constitution,” she wrote.
In a post on X, Lummis said, “The only reason I can think of why the FBI felt it had to spy on me and my Republican colleagues is that we support President Trump.”
Lummis previously said she had “serious concerns about election integrity, especially in Pennsylvania” during the 2020 election, and ultimately voted against certifying that state’s results showing Joe Biden won. Others on the FBI’s list also voted to overturn the results from that state and Arizona.
Multiple investigations and lawsuits claiming Trump won the 2020 election have been dismissed, withdrawn by Trump’s side or denied.
FBI Director Kash Patel claimed on X that the FBI uncovered evidence that the phone records were seized for political reasons but did not release evidence. He also said the FBI has disbanded the unit involved in the investigation.
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
