Investigators accessed Donald Trump's White House call records, says special counsel
Dec 12, 2023
Washington, DC [US], December 12 : Federal investigators have accessed White House cellphone records, including a phone used by former President Donald Trump that could be used as evidence over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, CBS News reported.
The special counsel investigation was opened by US Attorney General Merrick Garland on November 18, 2022. The investigation continues two investigations initiated by the Justice Department (DOJ) regarding Trump.
While it is unclear what prosecutors obtained and how much the White House cell phone records account for Trump's previous online activity, special counsel Jack Smith has stated that a technical witness who examined the phone for usage information "during the post-election period" may be called to discuss the data during the trial.
In a court filing, Smith refers to this person as "Expert 3," who "extracted and processed data from the defendant's and one other individual's (Individual 1) White House cell phones."
Another expert "specifically identified the periods during which the defendant's phone was unlocked and the Twitter application was open on January 6," CBS News reported.
In the same filing, the witness is stated to have "reviewed and analysed data on the defendant's phone and on Individual 1's phone, including analysing images found on the phones and websites visited, according to CBS News.
Smith refers to this person in a court filing as "Expert 3," who "extracted and processed data from the defendant's and one other individual's (Individual 1) White House cell phones."
"On January 6, another expert "specifically identified the periods of time when the defendant's phone was unlocked and the Twitter application was open." The witness is said to have "reviewed and analysed data on the defendant's phone and on Individual 1's phone, including analysing images found on the phones and websites visited" in the same filing.
The filing on Monday was in response to a court order requesting information about any expert witnesses the parties intend to call as part of the upcoming federal trial, which is set to begin on March 4, 2024, CBS News reported.
While no names are mentioned, prosecutors wrote about two more expert witnesses they intend to call who will use digital data to explain the crowd's movement on January 6.
