Declassified FBI documents confirm that Jack Smith was secretly monitoring the private phone communications of at least eight Republican senators during his January 6th investigation.
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s surveillance, part of a bigger operation code-named “Arctic Frost,” targeted lawmakers’ phone records – including call locations and numbers dialed – potentially linked to the 2020 election certification.
The details from the declassified FBI documents, expose how Smith’s taxpayer-funded operation- costing over $50 million – was used to spy on political opponents, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
Smith’s team focused on Senators
Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.),
Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.),
Ron Johnson (R-Wis.),
Josh Hawley (R-Mo.),
Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.),
Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.),
Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and
Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), along with
Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.).
In 2023, Smith investigators subpoenaed major telephone carriers for toll records, which included metadata like who called who and from where.
An FBI cellular analysis team conducted a “preliminary toll analysis” to map these interactions, all under the “Arctic Frost” banner – a case opened in April 2022 and focused on “election law matters.”
“Arctic Frost” evolved into Smith’s case against President Donald Trump over alleged election interference, which was ultimately dismissed after Trump’s 2024 victory.
The operation ballooned to ‘Spy’ on nearly 100 Republican-aligned groups and individuals and has been described by watchdogs as a fishing expedition aimed at Trump’s allies.
The document’s declassification stems from a review ordered by Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who has long championed transparency in federal investigations.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino personally oversaw the probe and are briefing the affected senators on Capitol Hill.
This episode fits a pattern of alleged DOJ actions under the Biden administration, from the Russia collusion hoax to the Mar-a-Lago raid, that have now been exposed through declassified documents.
