Jan. 6 rally organizers sue Verizon to stop release of cell phone records
ABC News
Several organizers of the Jan. 6 rally near the White House have sued Verizon to keep their cell phone data from being shared with congressional investigators.
Several organizers of the Jan. 6 rally near the White House filed a lawsuit Monday against Verizon to prevent the telecommunications giant from sharing cell phone data with the congressional committee investigating the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The plaintiffs in the suit -- Justin Caporale, Tim Unes, Maggie Mulvaney, and Megan Powers -- argue that Congress lacks authority to obtain the requested cell phone data, which the committee has requested as part of its probe.
The committee's subpoena, issued to Verizon for call, text, and location information, "lacks a lawful purpose and seeks to invade the plaintiffs' constitutional rights to privacy and to confidential political communications," the suit says.
On Jan. 6, each of the plaintiffs played a role in organizing the rally held on the Ellipse where then-President Donald Trump spoke to a crowd of his supporters prior to the deadly attack on the Capitol. Caporale, for example, was listed on permits as the rally event's "project manager."
