Late on the night of Friday, December 17, 2021, Jan 6 “Stop the Steal” organizer Ali Alexander filed a lawsuit attempting to stop the telephone carrier Verizon Wireless from turning over his phone records to the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot.
The 25-page filing entered into the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. lists defendants including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Jan. 6 House select committee, and Verizon Wireless—while seeking an injunction on Alexander’s phone records.
“The data sought is not pertinent to the investigation and sweeps up privileged communications between Alexander and clergy, Alexander and people he spiritually counsels, and Alexander and his respective attorneys,” the lawsuit states. “Mr. Alexander reasonably fears this is payback for his beliefs and lawful campaign activity that is being lumped in with illegal acts; and before a body that is not permitted to do either such thing.”
Jonathan A. Mosely, one of the two lawyers representing Alexander in the legal matter, told The Daily Beast late Friday night that “suing Congress is not that easy,” while claiming his client has grown frustrated with the committee, after giving “up thousands and thousands of pages and it’s never enough.” Alexander’s other lawyer, Paul D. Kamenar, told The Daily Beast he hopes to see the American Civil Liberties Union come to Alexander’s aid.
“We expect the ACLU to come in and join us,” he added, “and hopefully get both ends of the political spectrum to agree the January 6 committee is overreaching.”
On Saturday morning, Politico reported the late-night filing confirmed that Alexander had contacted Republican lawmakers Rep. Paul Gosar, Rep. Mo Brooks, and Rep. Andy Biggs ahead of the riot. Further, according to the filing, Alexander had a “few phone conversations” with Gosar.
