❓WHAT HAPPENED: Former Special Counsel Jack Smith sought the personal cellphone records of then-Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and former Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) during his January 6 witch hunt.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jack Smith, Kevin McCarthy, Louie Gohmert, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and others.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The investigation targeted phone records from January 4 to 7, 2021.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Jack Smith’s radical and deranged investigation was never about finding the truth. It was a blatant weaponizing of the Justice Department to attack political opponents of the Biden administration.” – Kevin McCarthy
🎯IMPACT: Smith’s investigation cost taxpayers over $50 million and has raised concerns about government overreach and privacy violations.
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith reportedly requested the personal cellphone records of then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and then-Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) during his probe into the January 6, 2021, Capitol protests. On May 25, 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Investigative Division prepared a “Significant Case Notification” outlining Smith’s subpoena for toll records from AT&T and Verizon.
McCarthy sharply criticized the effort, labeling it a “blatant weaponizing of the Justice Department.” He further stated, “Perhaps no action underscores this point more than the illegal attempt to access the phone records of sitting members of the House and Senate—including the Speaker of the House.”
The Biden-Harris FBI launched the probe, code-named “Arctic Frost,” in April 2022, aiming to obtain phone records from Republican lawmakers such as Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Josh Hawley (R-MO), among others. AT&T revealed that Smith’s team had subpoenaed records for two congressional members, including McCarthy, though the company ultimately provided none following legal challenges.
Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Johnson are spearheading an inquiry into the issue, with Grassley calling it a “fishing expedition that swept up Republicans in and out of Congress, from top to bottom.”
These disclosures have fueled intensified concerns over government overreach and weaponization under the Democrats, and breaches of elected lawmakers’ privacy. Arctic Frost, which has been likened to Watergate and has cost taxpayers more than $50 million, is currently under ongoing congressional review. It was authorized by Biden’s Attorney General, Merrick Garland, and former FBI Director Christopher Wray.
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