US officials to probe seizure of Democrats data | The Daily Update

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US officials to probe seizure of Democrats data

The US justice department will investigate attempts by officials in the Trump administration to seize the phone records of leading Democrats.

The internal probe comes after reports that the department ordered Apple to release data as part of efforts to track down who was leaking information. Two House Intelligence Committee members said they had been told records of their iPhone calls were handed over.

An official at the Biden White House criticised the actions as "appalling". Prosecutors under former Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued subpoenas - or orders to submit evidence - to Apple requesting data in 2017 and early 2018, according to the New York Times.

They were reportedly looking for the source of news reports about contacts between Russia and associates of Republican President Donald Trump, a matter that was then the subject of congressional investigations, including by the House Intelligence Committee.

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