FBI seizes Rep. Scott Perry’s phone

Perry’s statement did not detail what the FBI wanted from his phone, but he was a figure of interest to congressional investigators probing Trump’s efforts to nullify the 2020 election. Perry, a key ally in that effort, pressed Trump to replace Justice Department leaders and install a little-known official, Jeffrey Clark, at the top of the department. Clark had signaled his support for Trump’s efforts to call on state legislatures to reconvene and consider appointing « alternate » voters to sway the outcome to Trump.

The Jan. 6 selection panel assigned Perry in May, but he rejected the summons.

The Justice Department’s interest in Perry may relate to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, but it may also intersect with the investigation into Trump’s handling of White House records. The Jan. 6 committee revealed in April that Perry and Trump’s last chief of staff, Mark Meadows, communicated through the encrypted messaging app Signal on issues related to the 2020 election — and it’s unclear if one or the other retained these messages.

Likewise, the select committee received testimony that Meadows burned some papers after meeting Perry at the White House.