OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
11:17 AM – Tuesday, October 7, 2025
A newly obtained FBI document has revealed that the agency, under the Biden administration, targeted the personal cell phones of eight Republican senators and one Republican House member as part of its “Arctic Frost” investigation, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said on Monday.
The investigation ultimately formed the basis for Special Counsel Jack Smith’s elector case against President Donald Trump.
The document shows that in 2023, Biden’s FBI sought and obtained “tolling data” — including call times, durations, recipients, and general location information — from the dates January 4th to January 7th, 2021.
“Deranged Jack Smith got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. A real sleazebag!!!” Trump said on Truth Social in response.
FBI agents under the Biden administration “used taxpayer dollars to travel the country and conduct dozens of interviews in support of the political probe,” Grassley (R-Iowa) stated, adding that it was opened by “former anti-Trump agent Timothy Thibault.” Then, it was later “assigned to Special Counsel Jack Smith.”
The lawmakers identified in the document include Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), as well as Representative Mike Kelly (R-Pa.).
“The one thing that we do know is that everyone targeted is a Republican,” Senator Blackburn, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in response to the news.
However, the document and disclosures do not clearly show why those specific senators were included.
Grassley condemned the surveillance as a “serious violation of constitutional rights” and compared it to Watergate, calling for accountability and further investigation into the FBI’s actions.
“The American people deserve transparency, and the Justice Department must explain why these lawmakers’ communications were swept up in this investigation,” Grassley continued.
The Arctic Frost investigation initially examined Democrat-alleged efforts by the GOP overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. However, after President Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, Special Counsel Jack Smith moved to dismiss the election subversion case against Trump “without prejudice,” citing a DOJ policy. Nonetheless, Smith stated that he found no direct evidence of Trump’s alleged “subjective intent” to cause “the full scope of the violence” on January 6th. In the report, Smith concedes they “did not develop direct evidence — such as an explicit admission or communication with co-conspirators — of Mr. Trump’s subjective intent to cause the full scope of the violence.”
Meanwhile, this most recent disclosure by Trump’s FBI adds to growing scrutiny of the Biden FBI’s handling of politically sensitive investigations. It also raises questions about the balance between national security and privacy rights for elected officials.
Grassley issued the following statement regarding Monday’s disclosure:
“Based on the evidence to-date, Arctic Frost and related weaponization by federal law enforcement under Biden was arguably worse than Watergate.”
“What I’ve uncovered today is disturbing and outrageous political conduct by the Biden FBI. The FBI’s actions were an unconstitutional breach, and Attorney General Bondi and Director Patel need to hold accountable those involved in this serious wrongdoing.”
“I started the Arctic Frost investigation in July 2022 after hearing from whistleblowers. It’s taken years to get records and advance my investigation, but what the public is seeing now demonstrates the importance of congressional oversight and whistleblowers. My whistleblowers deserve great thanks for what they’ve helped expose. None of this would have been known without them.”
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