House Democrat says his phone calls with a state legislator was wiretapped by FBI

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) said Thursday he was informed by the Department of Justice that his phone calls with a Virginia state legislator in the spring were wiretapped. Why it matters: The Democratic congressman is casting the tap as part of a pattern of the DOJ targeting President Trump's political enemies, calling the incident "deeply concerning." "They have politically investigated multiple states' Attorneys General and the former FBI director. Now they admit they have surveilled conversations by a sitting Democratic Congressman," Subramanyam said in a statement. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Driving the news: Subramanyam released what he said was a notice from the DOJ and the FBI that a federal judge authorized a wiretap in early March that intercepted some of his calls between March 6 and April 5. Subramanyam said the wiretap was part of the DOJ's corruption probe into Louise Lucas, the president pro tempore of the Virginia state Senate, who has denied wrongdoing. Lucas' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. What they're saying: "The timing of this wiretap and investigation is extremely suspicious," Subramanyam alleged in his statement. "The tap took place between March and May, which was at the peak of campaigning for the redistricting referendum in Virginia. This was also while the Oversight Committee was calling on Pam Bondi to testify on the Epstein investigation." Subramanyam told Axios in a text message he wants to "know how they were using the information," adding, "Were they keeping tabs on me in any way because I'm on Oversight?"

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