FBI Investigated Over 160 Republicans in Arctic Frost Probe
The FBI conducted investigations into more than 160 Republicans, including key officials from the Trump administration, as part of the extensive Arctic Frost inquiry during President Joe Biden’s tenure. Documents released by the House Judiciary Committee reveal the broad scope of the investigation, which focused on allegations of interference in the 2020 election. Among those named in the files are White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, US Pardon Attorney Ed Martin, and White House trade adviser Peter Navarro.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan expressed surprise at the investigation’s extensive reach, stating, “What we’ve learned is it was much broader, much more expansive, than we ever thought.” Jordan emphasized the need for former special counsel Jack Smith to testify before the committee to clarify whether the investigations constituted a political operation against President Trump. He raised pivotal questions, including how many members of Congress may have been surveilled during the probe.
The investigation was initiated with the approval of former Attorney General Merrick Garland, ex-Assistant Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and former FBI Director Christopher Wray in April 2022, according to a memo released by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley. In November 2022, the probe was handed over to Smith following Trump’s announcement of his 2024 presidential campaign. Smith later charged Trump with unlawfully retaining national security documents and attempting to overturn the election results.
The House Judiciary Committee’s release of 198 pages of Arctic Frost documents indicates that the investigation employed FBI agents across multiple field offices, from Seattle to New York. The documents detail various investigatory actions, including requests to “surreptitiously record” interviews. An internal email highlighted a plan to incur $16,600 in travel expenses during June 2022 alone, which was intended to cover over 40 interviews, subpoenas, and cellular device search warrants.
Notably, some emails contained serious allegations against Ed Corrigan, president of the Conservative Partnership Institute. One communication suggested Corrigan was “pro-Putin” and sought to prepare individuals for a civil conflict, asserting that he secretly controlled the Freedom Caucus and harbored plans detrimental to the FBI. The email attributed these claims to a source whose identity was redacted.
Previous disclosures from the Arctic Frost investigation indicated that more than 90 conservative groups, including Turning Point USA, were targeted. Additionally, metadata from the phones of eight Republican senators and one House member was obtained, allowing Smith to access their call and text records as part of the investigation.
Smith has been requested to provide closed-door testimony to the House Judiciary Committee, yet he has called for a public hearing to address what he describes as “many mischaracterizations” regarding his inquiries into Trump. The ongoing developments in this case hint at a significant intersection of politics and law enforcement, raising questions about the implications for future political investigations.
