In a stunning revelation, the FBI, under previous leadership, secretly subpoenaed the phone records of Kash Patel and Susie Wiles while they were private citizens. The actions occurred during 2022 and 2023, coinciding with a federal investigation centered on Donald Trump, a probe that would later fall under the purview of Special Counsel Jack Smith.
The subpoenas, first reported by Reuters, were issued during the Biden administration as Smith investigated allegations of attempts to overturn the 2020 election and the handling of classified documents discovered at Mar-a-Lago. This aggressive pursuit of information extended beyond those directly involved in the events, reaching into the personal communications of individuals not then holding government positions.
Ultimately, Smith brought multiple felony charges against Trump related to both the election challenge and the classified documents. However, a significant turn occurred when the election interference case was dismissed after Trump’s re-election, a decision prompted by a Justice Department policy preventing the prosecution of a sitting president.
Further complicating matters, Smith also dropped the appeal of a separate ruling that had dismissed the classified documents case. Trump has consistently maintained his innocence in both investigations, vehemently denying any wrongdoing. The implications of these dropped cases and the initial aggressive investigation remain a subject of intense scrutiny.
Patel, now serving as FBI director, reacted strongly to the disclosure, labeling the seizure of his phone records as “outrageous and deeply alarming.” He accused previous FBI leadership of using “flimsy pretexts” and concealing the process within improperly labeled files to avoid oversight.
Reuters reported that the FBI discovered the subpoenaed phone records within files categorized as “Prohibited,” a designation Patel has since eliminated within the FBI. This raises serious questions about the internal procedures and levels of authorization surrounding the investigation.
During testimony last year, Smith defended the acquisition of call records, asserting that investigators “followed all legal requirements.” He explained that these records were crucial in establishing a timeline of events surrounding the January 6th Capitol riot, but emphasized they did not include the content of the conversations themselves.
The revelation of these subpoenas adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing narrative surrounding the investigations into Trump and the actions taken by the FBI during a highly charged political period. The circumstances surrounding the acquisition of these records continue to be examined and debated.
