A provision tucked into the government funding bill that passed the Senate on Monday would compensate GOP senators whose phone records were seized without their knowledge during former special counsel Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Up to nine Senate Republicans would be able to sue the government and be eligible for up to $500,000 in damages, plus attorneys’ fees, for each instance in which their call logs were coughed up to the feds. A payout for one incident apiece could cost taxpayers about $4.5 million.
Phone carriers would also be required to immediately notify senators and their offices if their devices, accounts, records or communications are sought — unless the lawmakers are the target of a criminal investigation.
In such cases, judges can issue a 60-day nondisclosure order if they find an imminent threat to “the life or physical safety of any person” or that the targeted senator poses a flight risk, that evidence would be destroyed, that witnesses would be intimidated or that the investigation would be jeopardized.
Hellbound and Down 