New records released by Senator Chuck Grassley (R–Iowa) reveal that former Attorney General Merrick Garland, former FBI Director Christopher Wray, and former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco personally authorized a sweeping FBI investigation into President Donald Trump and multiple Republican lawmakers following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The documents, made public Thursday, show the top officials approved the operation—codenamed “Arctic Frost”—in April 2022, during the Biden administration. Garland, Wray, and Monaco each signed a memorandum that authorized the opening of the broad inquiry into Trump allies and Republican-affiliated organizations.
Scope of “Arctic Frost”
According to Grassley, “Arctic Frost” was an expansive effort that examined phone and communication records of eight Republican senators, one GOP House member, and 92 Republican organizations and operatives between January 4 and 7, 2021.
Among those reportedly swept up in the investigation was Senator Ted Cruz (R–Texas), as first reported by Axios. Other groups allegedly targeted included the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA.
Grassley, who has spent months investigating what he calls “political weaponization” inside the FBI, said the scope of the probe was “arguably worse than Watergate,” given that members of Congress were targeted by their own government.
Current FBI Director Patel: “Weaponization Ends Here”
In a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter), FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the bureau has turned over the Garland-signed records to Congress and that his administration has taken steps to ensure accountability.
“Today, we handed over important documentation showing weaponization and politicization at the highest levels of government,” Patel said. “We’re proud to work with Chairman Grassley and Senator Johnson on this critical oversight to restore one tier of justice. Arctic Frost was a stain on this country. That weaponization ends under this FBI.”
Patel added that the FBI has fired personnel and disbanded the CR-15 unit within its Washington Field Office, which carried out the Arctic Frost operations.
“They tracked the communications of GOP Senators. They weaponized law enforcement against the American people. That era is over,” Patel said. “We dismantled the corrupt CR-15 squad and launched an investigation. Transparency and accountability aren’t slogans—they’re promises kept.”
DOJ Memo Warned of Election Sensitivities
The Justice Department memo authorizing Arctic Frost reportedly acknowledged that such an investigation could interfere with elections if it became public before a vote.
“Although members of the 45th Presidential administration are no longer in office, the DOJ memo states that the scope of this policy should be broadly construed to ensure that Department leadership is made aware of the opening of matters that could potentially be disruptive to the democratic process if publicly disclosed prior to an election,” the document reads.
Sources familiar with the operation say the Biden DOJ justified the probe based largely on open-source information and news reporting suggesting that Trump allies attempted to overturn the 2020 election results.
Connection to Jack Smith’s Investigations
The Arctic Frost probe evolved into Special Counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutions of Trump in Washington, D.C., and Florida. Smith charged Trump in 2023 for his alleged role in efforts to block the certification of the 2020 election and for retaining classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
However, both cases collapsed following the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling granting presidents criminal immunity for official acts. Smith resigned shortly after Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election, ending both prosecutions before trial.
During the campaign, Trump accused Smith and the Biden Justice Department of conducting politically motivated investigations. Smith’s attorneys, however, have defended their actions as consistent with DOJ policy, noting that they obtained only toll records—metadata on calls, not their content.
Grassley and House Republicans Pursue Oversight
The latest release from Grassley adds to a growing pile of documents detailing how Arctic Frost was initiated and who authorized it. Grassley said Thursday that more disclosures are forthcoming, and that the Senate and House Judiciary Committees will be expanding their oversight.
House Republicans have invited Jack Smith to testify now that his cases are closed. Smith has agreed to appear publicly, setting the stage for what could be a high-profile hearing on the Justice Department’s handling of the Trump and GOP investigations.
Meanwhile, the White House has not commented on the revelations. President Donald Trump, speaking Thursday evening from the Oval Office, praised Patel and Grassley for “exposing what the American people always knew — that the Biden DOJ was weaponized against its political opponents.”
“We’re cleaning up the mess they left behind,” Trump said. “No administration should ever spy on the political opposition again.”
Context and Fallout
The revelations underscore the enduring political and institutional fallout from the 2020 election and January 6 riot. While the Biden-era DOJ framed Arctic Frost as a necessary counterintelligence measure, Republicans now argue it represented an unprecedented breach of civil liberties and political neutrality within the federal government.
