Scott Perry is a 60 year old fascist representing a red-leaning district in south-central Pennsylvania. He was first elected in 2012; last cycle he was reelected with 53.8% of the vote, losing Dauphine County but winning in Cumberland a in Nazi-country (York County). He outspent Democrat Shamaine Daniels $2,942,589 to $404,374. Perry’s biggest source of funds came from the House Freedom Caucus, which he chairs ($396,800) and AIPAC ($33,850). It was his idea to install MAGA sociopath Jeffrey Clark as Attorney General to help overturn the 2020 election results. Perry introduced him to Trump but Perry’s plan was thwarted when virtually the entire Department of Justice let Trumpknow they would resign en masse if Clark was given the job. Perry was the first member of Congress subpoenaed by the committee investigating the J-6 coup. He ignored the subpoena and requested a preemptive pardon for his treason from Trump.
His cell phone was seized by the FBI in August 2022. He petitioned the DC District Court to prevent the FBI from accessing 2,219 documents stored on his phone. On Friday, Chief Justice Beryl Howell unsealed her ruling that Perry was not immune from the search and seizure because the “powerful public interest”outweighed the need for secrecy in the constitutional battle over his claims, giving the FBI permission to look at 2,055 documents including all 960 of his contacts with members of the executive branch. Perry is appealing her ruling.
On Friday, Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein reported that prosecutors had “homed in on Perry last year, seeking his contacts with top figures connected to Trump, including Clark and attorney John Eastman, an architect of Trump’s last-ditch bid to remain in power despite losing reelection. And in August, Perry’s phone was seized by FBI agents while he was traveling with family. Thus far, however, investigators have not had access to any of the records because, last month, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to stay Howell’s ruling. On Thursday, those judges heard both public and private arguments about the dispute. The stay remains in place as the appeals court considers whether to leave Howell’s ruling in place, set it aside or modify it in some way.” The appeals court seems to be siding with Perry.
Howell delineated between protected documents and those that should be made available to law enforcement:
Contacts with members of Congress and aides about legislation and votes would be protected from review by investigators, since they’re integral to his legislative responsibilities.
Communications with colleagues and staff about internal House Freedom Caucus business would also be protected, since it’s a group of lawmakers focused on the House agenda.
Internal House GOP leadership newsletters would not be protected, Howell said, because they were almost entirely political in nature, offering talking points or describing upcoming events, not things central to the legislative process.
Communications about Perry’s press coverage or media strategy are not protected, Howell determined, because they’re primarily political.
Contacts with fellow members of Congress and aides about 2020 election fraud and legal challenges to the vote are not protected because they’re “purely political,” Howell ruled.
