Durbin Questions Telecommunication Witnesses During Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing On Arctic Frost

Durbin Questions Telecommunication Witnesses During Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing On Arctic Frost

Today's hearing is the first in this wasteful series; this morning, Durbin again called for Senate Republicans to allow Jack Smith to publicly testify under oath, as he has offered to do

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses at a Judiciary Subcommittee hearing entitled "Arctic Frost Accountability: Oversight of Telecommunications Carriers' Responses to Jack Smith's Witch Hunt." Instead of allowing Jack Smith to testify, Senate Judiciary Republicans are proceeding with a wasteful series of eight subcommittee hearings to relitigate the 2020 presidential election and whitewash the January 6, 2021 insurrection, despite numerous other issues worth examining within the Committee's jurisdiction. Today's subcommittee hearing was the first hearing in the series.

Durbin first questioned Mark Nelson, General Counsel and an Executive Vice President for T-Mobile, and Chris Miller, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Verizon, about meetings between telecommunication companies and members of Congress to change the process when disclosing names associated with telephone numbers in the future.

"I hope you understand that from our perspective as politicians and elected officials that merely associating a name with an investigation raises a political concern… I value my privacy, maybe more than most, because I have so little privacy in public life and I want to make sure that it is not overrun with the few guardrails that still remain. In this circumstance, I understand that there was a meeting with representatives of Congress, maybe the Senate, to change this procedure in the future. Mr. Miller, were you party to that negotiation?" Durbin asked.

Mr. Miller responded that he is aware of the negotiations. He continued to say, "we do have a new process for something like this in the future."

"What has changed?" Durbin asked.

Mr. Miller responded, "If we receive a subpoena for a member of Congress, we will do several things. [We will] escalate it internally, we will address the subpoena with the issuing law enforcement agency, and if there is an attached nondisclosure order, we will challenge that order in court."

"What is the nature of this change? Is it a change in law? Is it change by way of agreement? How is it enforceable?" Durbin followed up.

Mr. Miller responded, "it is a change by way of agreement with the Senate Sergeant at Arms."

"But what you were doing in this case involving [Special Counsel Jack] Smith was complying with the existing law at the time, correct?" Durbin asked.

Mr. Miller responded, "yes Senator, that's correct."

Durbin asked Mr. Nelson if T-Mobile was party to that new arrangement as well-to which Mr. Nelson responded, "we have adjusted our processes. Congress had changed the law that's been repealed… but on a voluntary basis we are continuing to work with the Senate Sergeant at Arms to make similar changes to what you heard from my colleague from Verizon."

Durbin also asked David McAtee II, General Counsel for AT&T the same question. He responded that AT&T also had conversations with the Senate Sergeant at Arms, and that they will "always strive to improve their process."

Video of Durbin's questions in Committee is available here.

Audio of Durbin's questions in Committee is available here.

Footage of Durbin's questions in Committee is available herefor TV Stations.

This morning, Durbin led all Senate Judiciary Democrats in again calling for Special Prosecutor Jack Smith to testify publicly under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee, as he has offered to do, as well as request unredacted versions of the Special Counsel's report, including Volume II, which is still being blocked from public release by President Trump's Department of Justice.

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