Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Pro-Trump Rep. Slams FBI for Seizing Congressmember Cell Data in Capitol Riot Probe and People Think They Know Why

Pro-Trump Rep. Slams FBI for Seizing Congressmember Cell Data in Capitol Riot Probe and People Think They Know Why
Samuel Corum/Getty Images

On January 6, Congress held a joint session to nationally certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, which saw then-President-elect Joe Biden defeat then-President Donald Trump in the race for the White House.

What for decades was a standard post-election procedure was thrust into infamy when a mob of pro-Trump extremists stormed the United States Capitol, fueled by Trump's incessant lies that Democrats orchestrated widespread election fraud to deliver Biden a false victory.


At least five people died as a result of the attack, which also endangered the lives of every lawmaker present.

The riots led to Trump's second impeachment by the House and second acquittal by the Senate in the subsequent impeachment trial.

But while Congress may be done evaluating Trump's role in the calamity that day, U.S. intelligence agencies are still investigating what happened in the failed insurrection.

A report from The Intercept's Ken Klippenstein and Eric Lichtblau details steps taken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to secure "thousands of phone and electronic records" from those at the scene of the riot, including from members of Congress.

According to the report, the FBI gathered the data immediately after the riots using extrajudicial emergency powers and other means.

Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL), one of Trump's most submissive supporters even after the riots, decried the news on Twitter as an overstep on the part of the FBI.

While the FBI's surveillance has sparked concerns about its surveillance powers, Gaetz's condemnation comes amid speculation that far-right members of Congress may have aided the rioters inadvertently or otherwise.

QAnon devotees in the House—Congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO)—likened the opposition on January 6 to a "1776 moment" before the riots began. Congress members have confirmed that, in the days before the riots, Boebert gave a tour of the Capitol to a "large" group, despite the suspension of Capitol tours in light of the pandemic. Boebert also tweeted updates on lawmakers' locations as the riots were ongoing.

There's growing evidence that far-right extremist group The Proud Boys played a substantial role in coordinating the riot. As recently as this past October, Gaetz himself used Proud Boys members as event security.

The entanglement of far-right members of Congress and the extremism that sparked the riots had some speculating Gaetz's rebuke of the data-gathering was motivated by self-preservation.






Some expect the data collection will lead to jaw-dropping revelations.



House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has vowed to organize a special committee investigating the failed insurrection.

More from People/donald-trump

bride and groom cutting wedding cake
Wedding Dreamz on Unsplash

People Who Smashed Wedding Cake In Their Spouse's Face Reveal How Their Relationship Is Going Now

According to The Knot wedding resource magazine and website, smashing cake into the face of a spouse after tying the knot is a tradition tied to medieval England. To celebrate the marriage, the bride would toss a piece of piece of cake over her shoulder for good luck.

This evolved into newlyweds feeding a piece of cake to one another, then taking frosting or a small bit of cake and rubbing it gently onto each other's faces—usually the cheek or tip of the nose.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of U.S. Army veteran who criticized Donald Trump
@btnewsroom/TikTok

U.S. Army Vet Goes Viral With Blistering Speech Ripping Trump For Deploying Troops To L.A.

A U.S. Army veteran went viral after she spoke out to encourage other current and former military members to publicly condemn President Donald Trump for using them as "pawns" to suit his own ends after he deployed the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles amid ongoing protests against his administration's immigration raids.

Trump has activated over 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines, despite opposition from city and state leaders. He has painted a bleak picture of Los Angeles—claims that Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom say are wildly exaggerated.

Keep ReadingShow less
Barack and Michelle Obama
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The Obamas Just Shared A Rare Family Photo With Their Adult Daughters To Celebrate Sasha's Birthday

Former President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama warmed hearts when they shared the same photo to their respective social media accounts, showing them with their adult daughters, Sasha and Malia, to commemorate Sasha's 24th birthday.

Sasha Obama was born in June 2001, nearly eight years before the family moved into the White House at the start of her father's first term in January 2009. She and her older sister, Malia, now 26, spent their formative years in the presidential residence, growing up there throughout their father’s two terms, until the family departed in 2017.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Joe Biden
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Trump Dragged After Hilariously Flubbing Insult About Biden's Mental Acuity

The term malaphor means when two or more colloquial phrases or idioms get confused and combined to create something nonsensical. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), malaphors are a common symptom of frontotemporal dementia or other cognitive impairments.

So when a person seeks to accuse someone of being unintelligent, their use of malaphors is ironic and possibly very telling—narcissists will always accuse others of their own faults and failures.

Keep ReadingShow less
Christy Walton; Donald Trump
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

MAGA Now Calling For Walmart Boycott After Heiress Funds Ad Promoting Anti-Trump Protests

MAGA fans are boycotting Walmart after Christy Walton, one of the retail giant's heirs, took out a full-page ad in The New York Times promoting the “No Kings” protests planned against President Donald Trump's military parade.

Walton, who is worth an estimated $19.3 billion and ranks among the wealthiest women in the U.S., urged critics of Trump to "mobilize" against the parade—echoing a similar message she shared in a New York Times ad back in March.

Keep ReadingShow less