CNN —
The Justice Department has tried to gain access to Republican Rep. Scott Perry’s text messages as part of a criminal investigation into 2020 election interference, facing off with his lawyers in a secret court proceeding after seizing his phone, CNN observed at the courthouse and sources familiar with the investigation said.
The investigative work, now overseen by special counsel Jack Smith, is significant given that Perry texted then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows about advice from a “cyber forensic team” he was in touch with after the 2020 election.
Perry believed election security was compromised, contributing to Donald Trump’s loss of the presidency, and wanted to preserve voting machines after the election. That led the Pennsylvania lawmaker to be in touch with powerful Trump backers, including Meadows, Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and others who pushed false claims of election fraud.
“Plz tell every state senior that they need to 1. Preserve the specific voting machines (scanners),” Perry began in a long text message obtained by CNN. In the message, Perry passed along several instructions to Meadows from a “cyber forensic team.” The text was also reported this week by Talking Points Memo.
“Please ensure widest dissemination and action,” Perry wrote to Meadows on November 10, a week after the 2020 election.
Perry’s communications with Meadows suggest the congressman was keen to disseminate the same types of direction to others. He then...
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