Peter Strzok, one of the major players in the Russia hoax against President Trump, put out a tweet boasting about how many cell phones the FBI has taken from people who support President Trump or question the 2020 election.  One of my friends reached out to me to say that all this phone-stealing requires congressional action because, with the FBI going after ordinary people, not everyone who is affected can afford to replace the seized technology.  This can have devastating consequences for people.

I won't recount here Strzok's conduct leading up to, during, and after Donald Trump's election in 2016.  Suffice it to say that he is neither a nice man nor a good one.  Despite that, he managed to get away scot-free and, unlike President Trump, still has access to Twitter.  So it was that, on Wednesday, he sent out the kind of nasty tweet that seems entirely consistent with what we know of him:

At this point FBI may have more cell phones than a Verizon store

Rudy Giuliani
Victoria Toensing
Michael McDonald
Scott Perry
John Eastman
Jeff Clark
Boris Epshteyn
Mike Roman
Mike Lindell

The FBI can’t seize any of them without probable cause they contain evidence of a crime.

— Peter Strzok (@petestrzok) September 14, 2022

Strzok's certainly a piece of work.  Margot Cleveland, to her credit, had the perfect riposte:

FBI Agents on Mueller's team wiped three times as many cell phones, but whatever. https://t.co/zwJcfcCf6w pic.twitter.com/TrHNWWibbh

— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) September 14, 2022

One of my friends, who is not a rich man, said that all this cell phone– and computer-stealing is incredibly disturbing.  As Mike Lindell said when his phone was taken, he runs everything through it: his business and his personal life.  Heck, even his hearing aids are managed through his phone.  Presumably, though, like the other people from whom the FBI has seized their electronics, Lindell can replace phones and computers, and, if he's smart, he has backups in his home or on the cloud.

What about those people, though, who lack the means instantly to replace a seized computer or telephone?  What are they supposed to do when the FBI walks away with it and refuses to return it for days, weeks, months, or years?

Image: Computer and cell phone by diana.grytsku.

For some, their phone is the only phone they have because, for reasons of economy, they've given up a landline.  Phones are also their telephone directories, so they lose contact with everyone.  And of course, for many people, their computers are integral to their ability to earn a living.  But not every working person can instantly replace a seized computer.

That's why my friend had a brilliant idea: he thinks Congress should pass a law mandating that the FBI, which is probably copying the hard drives the moment it has these phones and computers in its possession, must return the seized electronics to their users within a reasonable — and that would be very short — period of time.  There's no reason why people who find themselves in Mike Lindell's position, but without his means, should be unable to control their hearing aids, call their children, or do their job merely because the FBI is working its way through a list of ordinary people to take down as enemies of the regime.

If you agree, contact your congresscritters and ask them to make this a priority.  It's a simple idea that could be part of a one-page bill that gets passed and instantly signed into law.  Moreover, it's not just for the benefit of those whom the FBI is persecuting.  This is the kind of bill that protects all Americans because it's the rare person today who isn't dependent on electronic devices.