Lawmakers Demand GAO Probe Into Secret DHS Record Collection

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Pramila Jayapal have requested that the Government Accountability Office investigate the Department of Homeland Security for using administrative summonses to secretly collect records from journalists, non-profits, and unions. The lawmakers allege that Homeland Security Investigations used these tools to circumvent judicial oversight, specifically citing an attempt to obtain YouTube account data for journalists Georgia Fort and Don Lemon after a judge twice rejected search warrant applications.

The request follows reports that the agency used subpoenas to Meta, X, and Reddit to unmask anonymous critics and obtained financial data from labor unions. Wyden and Jayapal are seeking an audit of the use of non-disclosure language in immigration subpoenas and customs summonses, as well as an investigation into whether the agency ignored a 2017 inspector general report regarding the improper use of these tools.

In addition to the GAO request, the lawmakers asked the judicial conference to amend subpoena templates. They seek to clarify that recipients may disclose the existence of a subpoena unless a specific court order prohibits such disclosure.