Perry gets bipartisan House support over DOJ's attempt to access GOP congressman's cell phone

A bipartisan group of House leaders has decided to intervene in GOP Rep. Scott Perry's legal battle with the Justice Department over whether the executive branch agency should be able to access the contents of the Trump-ally's phone.

Perry filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department in August to stop the agency from accessing information on his phone after the FBI seized it the day after the raid on former President Donald Trump's home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

The agency has tried to access the phone as part of its probe into alleged 2020 election interference.

The Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, which includes members such as Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Democrat House leader Hakeem Jeffries, unanimously decided to intervene, CNN reported Monday.

"It was a unanimous vote, in terms of the bipartisan legal group, related to the institution of the House," Jeffries said. 

A person familiar with the situation told the outlet that lawmakers viewed it in Congress' best interest to intervene to protect their work under the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause.