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- Michael Cohen told Insider the Justice Department was corrupted by former President Donald Trump.
- The ex-president's former personal attorney was reacting to news the department spied on lawmakers.
- The department had subpoenaed Apple for data on Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, among others.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
The revelation that the US Department of Justice obtained records for at least two Democratic lawmakers – and critics of former President Donald Trump – shows the extent to which the legal system was perverted to serve the narrow partisan interests of the last administration, Michael Cohen told Insider on Friday.
The comments from the ex-president's former personal attorney came after reports that federal prosecutors had forced Apple to hand over communications data for Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, as well committee staff, and their relatives, including one child.
At least a dozen people in total were impacted, The New York Times reported, in an attempt to uncover the source of leaks to the press about Trump associates and their dealings with Russia. The administration also obtained records on journalists at several national outlets as part of its probe.
"Like the mafia, the Justice Department became nothing more than a corrupt arm of the Trump administration," Cohen said, "run by Donald J. Trump as its head of the family."
Cohen added that every target of the last administration's surveillance "should be notified and the complete list of individuals should immediately be released to the media."
The Justice Department's Inspector General, Michael Horowitz, announced Friday that his office will be investigating the incident and whether it was "based upon improper considerations," following requests from Democratic leaders in Congress.
In the Senate, Democrats are also demanding that former Trump Attorneys General Bill Barr and Jeff Sessions testify under oath about their role in the matter.
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