Newly uncovered records confirm that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team secretly tracked private communications and call logs of several Republican senators during the January 6 investigation, a move that lawmakers say represents an outrageous abuse of power from remnants of the old deep state.
According to documents reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, the FBI obtained metadata and communication logs of at least eight GOP senators and staffers as part of what was known internally as the “Arctic Frost” operation.
The findings have reignited outrage in Washington, as lawmakers demand full transparency about how unelected prosecutors were allowed to spy on sitting senators.
Whistleblowers within the FBI confirmed that Smith’s prosecutors issued secret subpoenas to major telecom providers, requesting call and data records from Republican members of Congress.
Senator Chuck Grassley, who led the investigation into the surveillance, said, “This kind of political spying is unacceptable. No prosecutor should ever have access to the private communications of sitting lawmakers.”
The subpoenas were reportedly sent during the previous administration, but the exposure of this operation under President Trump’s leadership has opened the door for accountability and reform.
Officials close to the matter confirmed that the metadata collection included call durations, timestamps, and geolocation information, even though none of the monitored lawmakers were accused of any crime.
The FBI claimed the requests were justified under a “national security” authority, though internal communications suggest that the justification was weak and politically motivated.
Smith’s “Arctic Frost” probe was originally described as a limited obstruction review but has since been exposed as a sweeping surveillance dragnet targeting political figures who questioned the 2020 election results.
Lawmakers argue that these revelations prove what conservatives have warned about for years — that elements of the old Justice Department and intelligence community weaponized their authority to target dissenting voices.
Senator Ted Cruz, one of those reportedly monitored, said, “The fact that unelected prosecutors were able to spy on sitting senators is a direct assault on the separation of powers and the trust Americans place in their government.”
An FBI spokesperson admitted that the bureau collected communications data but insisted it was done “within legal limits.” Critics say that’s not an excuse for spying on elected representatives.
Legal analysts have called the move a serious breach of the Privacy Act and possibly the Speech or Debate Clause, which protects lawmakers from politically motivated investigations.
Reports verified by Fox News, PBS, and Newsweek confirm that Smith’s team used grand jury authorities to compel phone carriers to release private information.
Judicial experts argue that while metadata collection can sometimes be authorized under federal warrants, applying those tools to senators without probable cause violates constitutional boundaries.
Former national security official Kash Patel said the operation reflected “an entrenched system left over from the old order that abused its power for political purposes.”
Patel added that President Trump’s Justice Department is now reviewing the matter closely to ensure accountability within the agencies involved.
Conservative watchdog groups like Judicial Watch have already filed Freedom of Information Act requests demanding full disclosure of all individuals targeted in the Arctic Frost probe.
Senator Lindsey Graham joined calls for a congressional hearing, saying, “This looks like a deep state operation that went unchecked. The American people deserve answers.”
Graham compared the revelations to “a modern-day Watergate,” emphasizing that political spying on lawmakers is “the kind of corruption that destroys trust in the system.”
The White House has not yet issued a direct comment, but senior administration officials say President Trump has been briefed on the situation and supports full transparency.
