Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said Thursday the committee will not hold oversight hearings into the work of former special counsel Jack Smith or the FBI’s Arctic Frost operation until the Justice Department releases more internal records about how federal agents tracked Republican senators during the Trump investigations.
Speaking at a Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday, Grassley referenced the revelation earlier this week from FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino that eight Republican senators’ personal cell phones were targeted for tolling data as part of the Biden administration’s Arctic Frost operation, which he described as “a politically weaponized investigation.”
Recommended Stories
- Biden’s suppression of CIA report on Ukraine trip bolsters calls for FBI review of corruption evidence
- Classified material will be introduced in Comey trial, prosecutors say
- Comey makes history as first former FBI director to face arraignment
“The FBI told us many of the records associated with this matter are hidden behind grand jury secrecy rules,” Grassley said. “Attorney General Bondi must take immediate steps to seek a waiver and produce records to the Committee.”
Grassley urged Democratic members to join in exposing what he called “an unconstitutional breach by the Biden administration” and to hold accountable those involved. But he made clear that public hearings would not move forward until the Justice Department complies with outstanding document requests.
“We’re not ready for that yet,” Grassley said. “We’ve yet to receive enough records from the Justice Department. I’ve requested records, but the Department hasn’t come through in the volume needed. Before public hearings, the foundation needs to be set and strong.”
The Arctic Frost controversy has roiled Washington in recent days after newly revealed FBI documents showed that agents monitored the communications of nine Republican lawmakers — including Josh Hawley (R-MO), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Ron Johnson (R-WI) — as part of Smith’s investigation into President Donald Trump’s efforts to contest the 2020 election results.
According to internal summaries, the task force “conducted preliminary toll analysis” of the lawmakers’ communications, including call routing data and connection locations. The FBI has said many records remain protected under grand jury secrecy rules, while House and Senate Republicans have accused the bureau of spying on political opponents.
The Arctic Frost investigation began in April 2022 by then-FBI agent Timothy Thibault, at a time when then-Director Chris Wray was leading the bureau, and was handed over to Smith in November 2022.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed Tuesday that the bureau has shut down CR-15, a unit that assisted Smith’s team, and dismissed or reassigned several agents following the disclosures. “Transparency and accountability aren’t slogans — they’re promises kept,” Patel said on X.
Grassley, who obtained the underlying Arctic Frost document earlier this week, has likened the surveillance to Watergate. “Based on the evidence to date, Arctic Frost and related weaponization by federal law enforcement under Biden was arguably worse than Watergate,” he said Tuesday.
JACK SMITH TRACKED CALLS OF GOP SENATORS DURING JAN. 6 INVESTIGATION, FBI REVEALS
Separately, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) called on telecom companies AT&T and Verizon to explain why they did not resist subpoenas for lawmakers’ phone records. “There needs to be a reckoning for this,” Blackburn wrote on X.
The Washington Examiner contacted the DOJ but did not immediately receive a response.