Former Special Counsel Jack Smith and his team allegedly monitored the private communications and phone records of nearly a dozen Republican lawmakers during their investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a Tuesday report.
The document reviewed exclusively by Fox News indicates that Smith’s “Arctic Frost” team tracked the phone activity of several GOP senators, including Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, as well as Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.
The document, titled “CAST Assistance” and dated September 27, 2023, was reportedly discovered by FBI Director Kash Patel, the outlet said. The acronym “CAST” refers to the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team, a specialized unit that assists in analyzing phone data and geolocation records in criminal investigations.
The document, which has the names of FBI agents involved redacted, marks the case ID as “ARCTIC FROST—Election Law Matters—SENSITIVE INVESTIGATIVE MATTER—CAST.”
According to the document, an FBI special agent assigned to Jack Smith’s team conducted a “preliminary toll analysis” on phone records linked to the listed lawmakers. The analysis reportedly included details such as the numbers contacted, as well as the locations where calls were placed and received.
An FBI official told Fox News that the team’s tracking efforts provided access to this call data as part of the broader investigation.
A source familiar with the matter told the outlet the monitored communications were likely related to discussions surrounding the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
An official told Fox News that Smith and his team obtained the phone records in 2023 after issuing subpoenas to several major telecommunications providers.
The FBI’s internal case, code-named “Arctic Frost,” was opened on April 13, 2022, as part of the broader investigation into the January 6 Capitol attack. Smith was later appointed as special counsel to oversee the probe in November 2022.
“Fox News Digital has learned that FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is briefing those lawmakers on the discovery of Smith’s surveillance Monday afternoon on Capitol Hill,” the outlet reported on Tuesday. A source told Fox that both Patel and Bongino felt it was necessary to inform the targeted senators as soon as possible.
“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,” Bongino told Fox News. “That era is over.”
He added: “Under our leadership, the FBI will never again be used as a political weapon against the American people.”
FBI officials told Fox News that the recently uncovered records were located as part of an oversight inquiry initiated by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
Following Grassley’s request, FBI Director Kash Patel and former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino ordered a further review of the “Arctic Frost” investigation to determine the scope and handling of the records.
An FBI official told the outlet that Arctic Frost is a “prohibited case,” adding that the review has required FBI officials to go “above and beyond in order to deliver on this promise of transparency.”
The discovery of Smith’s activities is part of a wider ongoing review, Fox reported.
“The American people deserve the truth, and under my leadership, they will have it,” Patel told Fox News Digital. “We promised accountability for those who weaponized law enforcement, and we will deliver it.”
“Under our watch, the FBI will never again be turned against the American people,” he added.
After months of investigation, Special Counsel Jack Smith charged former President Donald Trump in federal court in Washington, D.C., over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. However, following Trump’s return to the presidency, Smith moved to dismiss the case, and U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan granted the request.
According to government records, Smith’s investigation cost taxpayers more than $50 million.