(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., called for the prosecution of anyone involved in the surveillance of his private phone calls and messages.
Hagerty and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., were among eight U.S. senators and one congressman monitored by the FBI as part of the Jan. 6 investigation into the capitol riots, according to an FBI report obtained by Fox News.
Hagerty and Blackburn said it was because they are Republicans who supported President Donald Trump.
“They decide to come after us,” Hagerty said in a video posted on social media. “We’re going to get to the bottom of this. They have destroyed the confidence of the American people in institutions like the FBI.”
Blackburn said the FBI exercised authority it did not have.
“The Biden administration raided Mar-a-Lago, indicted President Trump, and now we know they weaponized America’s top law enforcement agency to spy on Republican U.S. senators who support President Trump,” Blackburn said. “The FBI was rotten to the core under Joe Biden and Chris Wray’s leadership, and I will not let this stand.”
Hagerty said those involved should be punished.
“This deep state has got to be basically dug out and the people that did this to Sen. Blackburn and myself have to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he said. “And we’ll make certain that that happens.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that he fired the agents involved.
“They tracked the communications of GOP senators. They weaponized law enforcement against the American people. That era is over,” Patel said in a post on X. “We fired those who acted unethically, dismantled the corrupt CR-15 squad, and launched an investigation.”
The CR-15 squad refers to the FBI’s Washington public corruption unit.
Other senators on the list are Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania was the lone member from the House of Representatives.
