FBI Tracked Trump Family, Aides Ahead of Mar-a-Lago Raid
The White House Government Transparency Task Force released declassified FBI records Monday showing investigators placed a pen register on the phone of Susie Wiles, now White House chief of staff, during the classified documents investigation of Donald Trump.
- 21 Trump-affiliated lawyers' calls with Wiles were logged from February to May 2023.
- 5 journalists' calls were tracked; named contacts included CNN, Washington Post, Politico, and Just the News.
- Feb. 3, 2023, preservation requests went to Google, Microsoft, MSN, and Yahoo for Wiles' email data.
- A pen register captures call metadata — numbers, times, duration — not conversation content.
Why it matters: The surveillance was conducted under a probe codenamed Plasmic Echo, approved by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland and then-Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco in 2022, and was aimed at Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents.
- Records show agents reviewed Wiles' call activity specifically on April 10, 2023 — three days after an FBI interview with her — to identify who she contacted.
- A Trump administration official described the surveillance as covering constitutionally protected activities: reporting, social media, political donations, and campaign advice.
How 24 sources split on this story
Right coverage, 21 sources: The right frames the surveillance as an improper, politically motivated dragnet by Smith's team that targeted constitutionally protected legal, journalistic, and campaign activities to build a case against a sitting presidential candidate.
What’s next: The records also reveal a Nov. 3, 2023, meeting between FBI and Smith's team and former CIA Director John Brennan at CIA headquarters to discuss expert testimony; FBI notes from that meeting are largely blank.
- Sen. Chuck Grassley asked Smith under oath whether he consulted Brennan; Smith said he had never met Brennan.
- What legal standard authorized the pen register on Wiles, and was it subject to judicial review?
- Why are FBI notes from the Brennan meeting largely blank, and what was discussed?
- Were any of the 21 lawyers' calls protected by attorney-client privilege, and was that considered?
