Staff Reports
The White House Government Transparency Task Force has just dropped a batch of declassified memos from the probe code‑named “Plasmic Echo.” The files show FBI agents on Former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team put a pen‑register on White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and produced what appear to be blank notes from a meeting with Former CIA Director John O. Brennan. A 30‑year FBI veteran called the moves “outside of the normal scope.” If you like surprises, this one comes with a lot of unanswered questions.
What the memos actually reveal
The newly released memos show the FBI used a pen‑register / trap‑and‑trace on Susie Wiles’ phone for a stretch in 2023. That tool logs phone numbers called, timing and durations — not the words spoken. Still, the records reportedly show contacts with at least 21 Trump‑linked lawyers, campaign aides, political advisers and journalists. The package also includes an FBI summary of a November meeting at CIA headquarters with John O. Brennan, but the attached agent notes are essentially blank. That gap is hard to explain away as routine.
Why veteran agents say this looks wrong
Rob Chadwick, a longtime supervisory agent and former head of tactical training at the FBI Academy, told reporters the surveillance and the missing notes “fall outside” normal practice — especially when the targets are at the highest level of government. Pen‑registers have a lower legal bar than wiretaps, yes. Lower bar doesn’t mean no rules. The key question Chadwick raises: what did the prosecutors tell the judge who signed off on the order? If lawyers, lawmakers or a White House chief of staff were in the mix, affiants should have made that crystal clear to the court.
Political fallout and accountability questions
Conservative members of Congress and oversight figures are already citing the memos as proof of overreach and want answers. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan is pushing for further review of whether Special Counsel Smith misled Congress about contacts with Brennan. Supporters of the probe point out the pen‑register does not pick up content and that investigators often use metadata in complex cases. That argument misses the point: lawful tools used without full candor or proper documentation become dangerous. Blank agent notes for a meeting with a former CIA director do not look like a clerical hiccup. They look like a cover‑your‑trail moment.
Demands for the underlying court applications and any FD‑302 interview summaries are reasonable and overdue. If the DOJ and FBI can’t produce a clear paper trail showing proper judicial orders and honest affidavits, Congress should subpoena it. Transparency here isn’t partisan theater; it’s basic rule‑of‑law stuff. The public deserves to know whether investigators followed the rules or treated standards like suggestions. If the record stays blank, so will our confidence — and that’s no way to run justice in a democracy.
