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EXCLUSIVE – Fox News obtained a redacted copy of a notice AT&T sent to a private citizen customer after the company received a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 Committee for that individual’s phone records.
“The AT&T Global Legal Demand Center responds to subpoenas addressed to AT&T companies,” the document, which includes a copy of the subpoena, says. “We have received the enclosed congressional subpoena directing AT&T to disclose information about you, your account or one or more phone numbers associated with you.”
“As a courtesy, we are sending this notice to your address on file to enable you to contest the subpoena if you wish to do so,” the notice continues. It adds that the company will respond to the subpoena by Dec. 16 unless the customer takes legal action to fight the subpoena.
Personal details about the recipient of the subject, including the phone number being subpoenaed, are redacted from the document obtained by Fox News. The subpoena is a broad request for electronic records associated with a specific phone number.
Supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
This includes all the authorized users on a certain account, email addresses associated with it, the length of service with the company, every phone number on an account, electronic serial numbers, the “[a]ctivation and termination date of each device associated with the account,” “[a]ny and all number and/or account number changes” and “[o]ther subscriber numbers or identities,” including temporary IP addresses.
HOUSE JAN. 6 COMMITTEE SUBPOENAING PHONE RECORDS OF PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS, REP. BANKS SAYS
Most notably, the subpoena includes a demand for “all call, message, (SMS & MMS), Internet Protocol (‘IP’), and data-connection detail records associated with the phone numbers, including all phone numbers, IP addresses or devices that communicated with the phone number via delivered and undelivered inbound, outbound, and routed calls, messages, voicemails and data connections.”
A GOP source told Fox News this week that subpoenas were sent not just to AT&T but also to T-Mobile and Verizon. None of those companies directly replied to requests for comment. But the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) reached out to Fox News with a statement.
“While CTIA is not privy to the specifics of any request, wireless carriers are compelled to comply with valid subpoenas and do so every day,” the CTIA said.
The subpoena is signed by Jan. 6 Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. The committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News. Neither did a spokesperson for Ranking Member Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.
The subpoenas follow preservation orders the committee issued to telecom companies in August for a swath of data pertaining to many individuals. It isn’t clear exactly whose records are being subpoenaed by the committee now, but a GOP aide knowledgeable about the subpoenas said the committee hasn’t issued any for phone records of members of Congress yet.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, speaks during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing in Washington, D.C. Sept. 16, 2020. (Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The committee has moved forward with issuing subpoenas to telephone companies,” the GOP aide said Wednesday. “Our understanding at this point is they have not subpoenaed member information, but they are subpoenaing telephone records of private American citizens.”
“I’m not gonna get too far ahead of what we’re releasing. But we’re gonna get – we’ll be thorough, we’ll get to the bottom,” Jan. 6 Committee member Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., told Fox News when asked about subpoenas for private citizens’ phone records Wednesday.
“I won’t say anything on that yet,” he added when pressed again.
In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo with the White House in the background, President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
Cheney simply said “no comment” when asked about such subpoenas.
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The Jan. 6 Committee is tasked with investigating the attack on the Capitol by a mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump earlier this year. The attack happened after Trump falsely claimed he won the presidential election for months.
Democrats say the committee is crucial to ensuring there is never a repeat of Jan. 6. Most Republicans say it is a highly partisan witch hunt meant to hurt Republicans and the former president.
Fox News’ Bill Mears contributed to this report.