DOJ INSPECTOR GENERAL PROBES SEIZURE OF DATA FROM HOUSE DEMS

The Justice Department’s inspector general opened an inquiry on Friday into the Trump administration’s secret seizure of data from House Democrats and reporters as prosecutors sought to hunt down the sources of leaks of classified information, Nicholas Fandos and Charlie Savage reported for the New York Times.

In a statement, Michael E. Horowitz, the inspector general, announced he would review the department’s use of subpoenas and other legal maneuvers to secretly access communications records of Democratic lawmakers, aides, and at least one family member, which was first reported on Thursday by the New York Times.

The Times first reported that the Trump Justice Department subpoenaed Apple and one other service provider to hand over data tied to at least a dozen people as it hunted for the source of leaks about Trump associates and Russia.

The department then secured a gag order to keep it secret. Apple said it unknowingly turned over the data, calling the release the routine work of a paralegal. Horowitz said he would also look at other recently disclosed actions intended to secretly seize data from reporters.

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