Washington, D.C. — Newly released Senate Judiciary Committee records detail what Republican lawmakers describe as sweeping surveillance and political targeting by the Biden administration’s Federal Bureau of Investigation during its “Arctic Frost” investigation, a probe initially tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
According to documents and whistleblower disclosures released by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the FBI obtained government-issued cell phones belonging to former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence and collected call metadata involving eight Republican senators. The committee’s release asserts the agency “issued 197 subpoenas for 34 individuals and 163 businesses,” covering communications linked to more than 430 Republican-affiliated persons or entities (Biden FBI Spied on Eight Republican Senators as Part of Arctic Frost Investigation – Grassley Oversight Reveals).
Grassley said the documents raise “serious concerns about political weaponization of federal law enforcement,” describing the operation as an “unconstitutional breach.” The records were made public as part of the committee’s broader oversight of the FBI and Department of Justice.
Whistleblower claims
In a separate release, Grassley and Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) published whistleblower records alleging senior DOJ and FBI officials plotted to “pin” Trump in the criminal investigation led by Special Counsel Jack Smith regarding the 2020 election’s alternate electors. The senators said the disclosures reveal “an intentional effort by politically motivated officials to build a case against Trump,” involving personnel who “held known anti-Trump bias” (Grassley, Johnson Make Public Whistleblower Records Revealing DOJ and FBI Plot to Pin Trump in Jack Smith Elector Case).
The documents indicate the White House Counsel’s Office under President Biden coordinated with DOJ officials in the early stages of the Arctic Frost investigation. According to Grassley, “the White House assisted in obtaining the government phones” used by Trump and Pence before the FBI acquired them through internal channels.
Expanded oversight and FBI hearing
The latest release follows Grassley’s remarks at the Senate Judiciary Committee’s FBI oversight hearing in September, where he unveiled additional records “demonstrating political weaponization and misconduct at the Biden FBI.” He told Director Christopher Wray that despite limited reforms, “the FBI continues to be used to advance political goals.” He also said the agency had “corrected whistleblower retaliation and increased transparency more than any other FBI Director I’ve seen,” while insisting that “systemic accountability” remains lacking (Grassley Opens Senate Judiciary FBI Oversight Hearing, Releases Additional Records Demonstrating Political Weaponization and Misconduct at Biden FBI).
Scope of Arctic Frost
The Arctic Frost investigation began as part of the Justice Department’s review of efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the so-called alternate electors strategy. Grassley’s records claim the probe expanded to include hundreds of individuals and organizations connected to Republican political activity. The metadata obtained did not include call content but recorded numbers, timestamps, and durations, and the subpoenas sought bank, phone, and business records.
Implications
The disclosures intensify congressional scrutiny of the FBI and DOJ amid ongoing partisan disputes over the handling of politically sensitive investigations. Republicans have called for a full accounting of the Arctic Frost operation and the identities of the eight senators whose data was collected. The DOJ and FBI have not publicly confirmed the details of the subpoenas or data acquisitions described in the Senate documents. Grassley said the findings will be referred for further oversight review and may prompt additional subpoenas from the Judiciary Committee.
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