❓WHAT HAPPENED: Former Special Counsel Jack Smith and his team reportedly tracked the private communications and phone calls of nearly a dozen Republican Senators as part of their investigation into the January 6 Capitol riots.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: GOP Senators including Lindsey Graham, Marsha Blackburn, Ron Johnson, Josh Hawley, Cynthia Lummis, Bill Hagerty, Dan Sullivan, Tommy Tuberville, and Rep. Mike Kelly, as well as FBI officials including Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The surveillance reportedly occurred in 2023, following the opening of the “Arctic Frost” investigation in April 2022. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino briefed lawmakers on Capitol Hill after the discovery.
💬KEY QUOTE: “It is a disgrace that I have to stand on Capitol Hill and reveal this—that the FBI was once weaponized to track the private communications of U.S. lawmakers for political purposes. That era is over.” – Dan Bongino
🎯IMPACT: The discovery highlights concerns over the misuse of federal law enforcement for political purposes under the Democrats, prompting further review of the FBI’s “Arctic Frost” case.
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith is accused of having tracked the private communications and phone records of at least twelve Republican Senators as part of his investigation into the January 6 Capitol riots, according to a document in possession of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The document, titled “CAST Assistance” and dated September 27, 2023, was discovered by FBI Director Kash Patel. “CAST” refers to the FBI’s cellular analysis survey team.
The investigation, known as “Arctic Frost,” reportedly targeted Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA). An FBI special agent on Smith’s team conducted preliminary toll analysis on the lawmakers’ phone records, revealing call locations and numbers dialed. The calls were reportedly related to the certification of the 2020 election.
“It is a disgrace that I have to stand on Capitol Hill and reveal this—that the FBI was once weaponized to track the private communications of U.S. lawmakers for political purposes,” said FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who briefed lawmakers on the discovery. “That era is over.”
Director Patel emphasized that his team would ensure transparency and accountability, stating, “The American people deserve the truth, and under my leadership, they will have it.” The document noted that the records were subpoenaed from major telephone providers in 2023, following the opening of the “Arctic Frost” investigation in April 2022.
Smith, appointed as special counsel in November 2022, charged President Donald J. Trump in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the January 6 Capitol riots, but later sought to dismiss the case after Trump’s election. The case reportedly cost taxpayers over $50 million.
FBI officials, under the direction of Patel and Bongino, have launched a broader review of the “Arctic Frost” case. The review comes in response to an oversight request by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA). “We promised accountability for those who weaponized law enforcement, and we will deliver it,” Patel stated.
Bongino reiterated, “Under our leadership, the FBI will never again be used as a political weapon against the American people.”
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