Garland Wray Approve FBI Arctic Frost Probe Targeting GOP Senators, Groups

Senator Chuck Grassley revealed that top Biden administration officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and FBI Director Christopher Wray, personally approved in April 2022 the FBI's "Arctic Frost" investigation targeting supporters of President Trump and several Republican senators. The investigation, initiated by the FBI's Washington Field Office, was based on an articulable factual basis indicating federal crimes related to attempts to obstruct Congress' certification of the 2020 Electoral College vote. This operation encompassed surveillance of nearly 100 Republican-linked groups, phone toll record analysis of GOP lawmakers, and interception of communications of Trump supporters and members of Congress. The extensive surveillance data was later used by the January 6th Committee and special counsel Jack Smith in the investigation and indictment of Trump. Grassley criticized the investigation as an example of unchecked government power and vowed continued oversight. The disclosures have raised concerns about government overreach and the breadth of surveillance on American citizens tied to Trump and conservative groups.