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Former Attorney General Merrick Garland and former FBI Director Christopher Wray personally approved the Arctic Frost investigation in April 2022 that resulted in the surveillance of several Republican senators, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Thursday.
Grassley said the probe also served as the foundation for the appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith, who later led the investigation into President Donald Trump over the 2020 election.
In a post on X, Grassley cited new Department of Justice documents he said confirm Garland’s April 5, 2022, authorization. It was recommended by then-Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and allowed the FBI’s Washington Field Office to open a full investigation based on what officials described as “an articulable factual basis indicating the existence of a federal crime” involving Trump and “individuals closely associated with him.”
“Proof that Biden Atty General Merrick Garland + Deputy Atty General Lisa Monaco + FBI Dir Chris Wray all PERSONALLY APPROVED opening Arctic Frost,” Grassley wrote. “This investigation unleashed unchecked govt power at the highest levels. My oversight will continue.”
Grassley previously disclosed that at least eight Republican senators were subjected to surveillance as part of the inquiry. On Oct. 6, he said the FBI conducted toll record analysis on several GOP lawmakers, including Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.
The data, Grassley said, could have revealed who the senators communicated with in the days surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. He described the surveillance as “worse than Watergate.”
According to Grassley, 92 additional individuals and organizations aligned with conservative causes were also swept up in the investigation, including Turning Point USA, co-founded by the late conservative leader Charlie Kirk. He said the scope of Arctic Frost suggested “it was much broader than just an electoral matter.”
Following Grassley’s revelations, current FBI Director Kash Patel pledged transparency and accountability, stating that the bureau had taken disciplinary actions. “We terminated employees, we abolished the weaponized CR-15 squad, and we initiated an ongoing investigation with more accountability measures ahead,” Patel said on Oct. 7.