Federal Judge Orders PA's Scott Perry To Turn Over 1600 Texts, Emails

HARRISBURG, PA — U.S. Congressman Scott Perry has been ordered by a federal judge to turn over hundreds of pages of texts and emails to investigators detailing his connection to President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election and keep Joe Biden out of office.

The ruling, handed down by Chief Judge James Boasber in the District Court of the District of Columbia, could provide crucial evidence in Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigations into Trump's election interference and role in the Jan. 6 attacks.

A total of 1,659 of Perry's texts and emails must be turned over, Boasber said in his ruling. Perry had argued that the Constitution's “speech or debate” clause, which prevents prosecutors from disrupting private business of Congress, protected him, according to the Associated Press.

But Boasber concluded that only 396 of the relevant messages could be protected in such a manner, and the rest must be turned over.

Investigators say that Perry's communications detail key information about the orchestration of election fraud, how to influence individuals in the White House, and the role that Vice President Mike Pence would ultimately play in the scheme.

One of Trump's fiercest defenders and most pivotal figures in the chaos of the 2020 election denialism, Perry has been targeted by investigators from the get-go after Jan. 6, facing subpoenas before Congress and casting doubts on fundamental democratic processes with accusations that were later found to be baseless.

Perry's lawyer struck a more concliatory tone in a statement to the AP on the decision, noting that Perry had a duty to "investigate the seemingly credible information he received about discrepancies in the 2020 election."

The court decision this week is a notable judicial development alone, as investigators have been working to get this information from Perry for the better part of a year. An order to the same effect was issued all the way back in Februrary, and Perry had exercised numerous appeals and other means to delay the order or prevent it from taking effect altogether.

"Rep. Perry opposes release of even the redacted versions of the judicial records due to concern such release 'would severely prejudice him,'" the order earlier this year stated.