Federal investigators have reportedly gained access to White House cell phone records, including a phone used by former President Donald Trump, raising the stakes in the special counsel’s 2020 election-related trial.
According to a report by CBS News on Tuesday, December 12, prosecutors revealed on Monday that this information could serve as evidence in the case.
While the exact nature of the data remains unclear, special counsel Jack Smith indicated that a technical witness, referred to as “Expert 3” in court filings, has extracted and processed data from White House cell phones used by Trump and another individual identified as “Individual 1,” later revealed to be former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
Expert 3’s examination included details on when Trump’s phone was unlocked and the Twitter application was open on January 6, a pivotal date in the case.
The witness also reviewed images and analyzed data on both Trump’s and Individual 1’s phones, shedding light on their online activities.
Trump faces four criminal counts, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S., for his alleged attempts to resist the transfer of power, with Giuliani named as one of six unnamed individuals in the indictment.
Despite pleading not guilty, Trump has consistently criticized Smith’s prosecution, labeling it as politically motivated.
The latest court filing, submitted in response to a court order regarding expert witnesses for the trial scheduled for March 4, 2024, revealed two additional experts who will use digital data to explain the crowd’s movement on January 6.
This development is not the first instance of investigators scrutinizing Trump’s post-election phone usage.
Internal White House records from January 6, 2021, presented to the House select committee last year, showed a notable gap in Trump’s official phone logs during the Capitol attack.
The absence of records for 457 minutes raised questions about whether the former president used “burner phones.”
The National Archives turned over records to the committee, part of an investigation into the events of January 6 and Trump’s potential use of such phones.
Monday’s court filing coincided with the Supreme Court’s decision to expedite consideration of a request by the special counsel.
This move aimed to address a key question central to the case: whether Trump, or any president, is completely shielded from federal prosecution for alleged conduct while in office.
A federal judge had previously ruled against Trump’s request to dismiss the case based on presidential immunity.
With the trial date approaching rapidly, Smith’s team sought the Supreme Court’s intervention, recognizing the issue’s likelihood of reaching the high court eventually.
The ongoing legal saga underscores the complexity and significance of the case against the former president.
