MAGA-aligned U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), who received Sen. Chuck Grassley‘s (R-IA) recommendation to replace Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito (should he retire), complained today of rude treatment he received on the phone from a federal prison employee when Lee called to check in on an inmate. [NOTE: Grassley also mentioned Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as a potential candidate to replace Alito.]
As seen below, Lee said he received a call from “a constituent whose son is in federal prison and said he hasn’t heard from his son in several days (which is unusual for him), that his son suffers from multiple, potentially life-threatening health conditions that are going untreated in prison, and that he needed to know whether his son was still alive.”
Lee said when he called, identified himself, and explained why he was calling, the person who picked up the phone “scolded me three times for calling ‘too [expletive] late’ and refused to tell me anything.” The man eventually confirmed that the inmate was “alive and receiving the treatment he needs,” although, according to Lee, the parents said that wasn’t true.
Lee said the man on the phone refused to provide his name and hung up on the Senator. Lee wrote: “That’s not okay. Sadly, this is not the first time I’ve had this experience when talking to people from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on behalf of constituents with an incarcerated family member suffering from a severe medical condition. And each occasion, I’ve been treated at best with dismissiveness and at worst with contempt and profanity. Has anyone else experienced this with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons?”
I got a call tonight from a constituent whose son is in federal prison
He explained that he hasn’t heard from his son in several days (which is unusual for him), that his son suffers from multiple, potentially life-threatening health conditions that are going untreated in…
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) April 15, 2026
The DOJ Rapid Response account on X replied to Lee: “Senator, this is unacceptable and we are addressing it this morning.”
[NOTE: The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is managed by the U.S. Department of Justice. The BOP Director, William K. Marshall III, reports to the U.S. Attorney General, a role currently held by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.]
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau also replied Lee: “Just to underscore your point: this is NOT okay. This guy, like both of us, is a PUBLIC SERVANT. He may not always be able to helpful, but he must always be professional and civil. I would be mortified if I heard a report that someone in the State Department had behaved this way to anyone, much less a US Senator. I hope and trust you will get a prompt, satisfactory, and apologetic response from the US Bureau of Prisons and further hope that you or anyone else would immediately report to me if they ever receive similar treatment from anyone in the State Department. This kind of thing really makes my blood boil.”