Trump DoJ investigations come from ‘the playbooks of dictators and despots’, Democrat says

Eric Swalwell says William Barr and Jeff Sessions should testify to Congress over phone record subpoenas

A Democrat who unknowingly had his phone records subpoenaed by Donald Trump’s justice department has accused the former US president of “playing from the playbooks” of dictators and despots.

The Department of Justice’s (DoJ) subpoena for Apple phone data from two Democrats followed concerns surrounding leaks from the Trump-Russia investigation in 2018 by a staffer.

Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff, who both sit on the House Intelligence Committee, were subject to the subpoena — which was only revealed after the termination of a gagging order. A source told CNN that the lawmakers were not the initial target of a request.

Records of former White House counsel Don McGahn and reporters from the Washington Post, The New York Times and CNN were subject to probes also.

In op-ed on Monday, Mr Swalwell wrote that former president had not only dismantled America’s democratic norms, but accused him of “bullying and phony machismo” in the style of “dictators” through the DoJ.

“His weaponisation of law enforcement was straight out of the playbooks of the dictators and despots he idolised,” argued Mr Swalwell, writing for USA Today. “And it remains particularly concerning because he and his supporters believe he could become president again”.

Mr Swalwell went on to refer to the “many abuse[es] Trump perpetrated” in office, and called for former Trump officials — including his attorney generals William Barr and Jeff Sessions — to appear in front of Congress to testify.

Mr Schiff also argued last week that there was "a lot we don't know, including how the [justice] department came to seek those records and whether prosecutors understood what records they were requesting”.

"We still don't know whether only Democrats were the subjects of these requests or whether the investigation was properly predicated,” the Democrat wrote for the Washington Post. “The department has yet to explain”.

An investigation is currently underway within the DoJ into the subpoenas.