FBI Spies on GOP Senators — Explosive Report

FBI website shown through magnifying glass.

The Biden administration’s Justice Department authorized surveillance of eight Republican senators and one House member, with approval coming directly from Attorney General Merrick Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Story Highlights

FBI collected phone metadata for nine GOP lawmakers during January 4-7, 2021, under “Arctic Frost” investigation
Top DOJ officials including Garland, Monaco, and Wray personally authorized the surveillance in April 2022
Targeted senators include Lindsey Graham, Josh Hawley, Bill Hagerty, Dan Sullivan, and Marsha Blackburn
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley exposed the memo and demands accountability for political weaponization
Special Counsel Jack Smith defends the subpoenas as “entirely proper” despite Republican outcry

High-Level Authorization Exposed in Senate Investigation

Senator Chuck Grassley’s Judiciary Committee oversight revealed that the FBI’s surveillance of Republican lawmakers was not a rogue operation but received explicit authorization from the highest levels of the Justice Department. The April 2022 memo bearing the signatures of Garland, Monaco, and Wray demonstrates that political targeting of opposition party members reached the very top of the Biden administration’s law enforcement apparatus.

The “Arctic Frost” investigation supposedly focused on efforts to challenge the 2020 election results, but the scope expanded to include sitting members of Congress. This represents an unprecedented breach of the traditional separation of powers that has historically protected lawmakers from executive branch surveillance without extraordinary justification.

Scope and Timeline of Republican Lawmaker Surveillance

The FBI collected phone tolling data for the targeted lawmakers during the critical period of January 4-7, 2021, surrounding the Capitol riot. While the surveillance did not capture actual call content, the metadata revealed call times, durations, and recipient numbers, providing a detailed map of communications during politically sensitive negotiations about election certification.

The investigation used “Prohibited Access” files to maintain secrecy, suggesting the DOJ understood the controversial nature of surveilling sitting senators. Special Counsel Jack Smith later subpoenaed additional phone records in 2023, expanding the surveillance dragnet even further under the guise of investigating election subversion.

Republican Response and Calls for Accountability

Senator Josh Hawley, one of the surveillance targets, has demanded special prosecutor investigations and secured commitments from the Trump DOJ to investigate this abuse of power. The targeted lawmakers characterize the surveillance as political weaponization designed to intimidate opposition voices and chill legitimate legislative debate about election integrity concerns.

Senator Grassley continues pressing for transparency and accountability, arguing that Arctic Frost represents government overreach that exceeds even Watergate-era abuses. The revelation that top DOJ officials personally authorized the surveillance eliminates any plausible deniability about political motivations behind the investigation.

Constitutional Concerns and Precedent Setting

Legal experts note the extreme rarity of surveilling sitting lawmakers, given separation of powers concerns and the chilling effect on legislative independence. The DOJ’s willingness to target multiple senators simultaneously suggests a concerning erosion of traditional constraints on executive power over the legislative branch.

Jack Smith’s defense of the subpoenas as “entirely proper” rings hollow when considered against the extraordinary nature of surveilling nine Republican lawmakers simultaneously. The fact that no Democratic lawmakers faced similar scrutiny despite their own communications during the same period exposes the partisan nature of the investigation.