‘Kraken’ lawyer Sidney Powell sues Verizon to shield phone records from Capitol riot committee

Former Trump attorney and election fraud conspiracy theorist claims record release would violate attorney-client privilege

Sidney Powell, a former attorney for Donald Trump who has pursued a spurious legal bid to overturn 2020 election results, is suing Verizon to block her phone records from a congressional committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol.

Bob Holmes, representing Ms Powell, argued in US District Court filing in Texas that the phone company should be barred from sending such records to the House select committee would cause her “irreparable harm” and may violate attorney-client privilege.

Ms Powell “had no involvement in the events” of 6 January, 2021, yet the US Department of Justice “is seeking records that contain attorney client privileges held by numerous clients,” according to the filing on 17 February.

The suit also alleges that the committee lacks “any ‘valid legislative purpose’” to request phone customer data, call records and other information, and would violate federal telecommunications laws by doing so.

Ms Powell also claims subpoena for phone records violates her First Amendment rights to freedom of association – and does not “advance a sufficiently important governmental interest to permit its enforcement” – and violates her Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures and right to privacy.

In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, Ms Powell vowed to “release the kraken” to prove Mr Trump’s “landslide” victory despite his definitive loss, raising dubious and baseless allegations of voter fraud and vote manipulation that exposed her to lawsuits from voting machine companies as well as potential legal penalties.

The House select committee issued subpoenas for several Trump-affiliated attorneys – including Ms Powell, Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis – in January. The group “advanced unsupported theories about election fraud, pushed efforts to overturn the election results, or were in direct contact with the former President about attempts to stop the counting of electoral votes,” according to committee chair Bennie Thompson.

“We expect these individuals to join the nearly 400 witnesses who have spoken with the Select Committee as the committee works to get answers for the American people about the violent attack on our democracy,” he said in a statement.