Former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell sues Verizon to block release of his phone records to Jan. 6 committee
Sidney Powell, a former attorney for former President Donald Trump, filed a lawsuit against Verizon on Tuesday, seeking to block the company from providing his phone records to the House committee investigating the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The Jan. 6 panel subpoenaed Verizon to appear on Feb. 1 for records related to multiple phone numbers, seeking records from Nov. 1, 2020, to Jan. 31, 2021, according to the lawsuit. Verizon informed Powell on February 4 that some of the phone numbers belonged to him.
the trial, which was consulted by Insider, argues that the committee lacks the authority to search Powell’s records and that it is trying to act beyond its legal scope as an “inquisitorial tribunal seeking evidence of ‘criminal activities’. He also cites issues of confidentiality and solicitor-client privilege as arguments for withholding the records, among other things.
Powell is asking the court to declare the subpoena illegal and unenforceable and to enjoin Verizon from turning over the records.
A lawyer for Powell and a representative for Verizon did not respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Powell served for a time on Trump’s legal team following the 2020 election before his the campaign fired her. She was a strong supporter of false or unproven allegations of mass voter and voter fraud, filing multiple trials in battleground states, which she likened to releasing the “Kraken,” in an effort to undo President Joe Biden’s victories. All prosecutions have failed.
Representatives for Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the Jan. 6 committee, did not respond to requests for comment on the subpoena for Powell’s phone records.
Thompson said in a statement at the time that the four attorneys were “advancing unsubstantiated theories of voter fraud, pushing efforts to overturn election results, or being in direct contact with the former president about attempts to stop the counting of electoral votes”.
The committee’s announcement said Powell pushed failed election lawsuits in an attempt to overturn election results and “actively promoted” allegations of voter fraud on Trump’s behalf.