FBI under Biden targeted more than 160 Republican operatives and lawmakers
The FBI conducted a broad investigation called “Arctic Frost,” targeting more than 160 republican operatives, lawmakers, and Trump-aligned individuals for possible crimes related to the 2020 election. Newly released documents from the House Judiciary committee, led by Republican Jim Jordan, reveal that this probe was more extensive than previously known and involved multiple FBI field offices nationwide. The investigation focused on key figures close to former President Donald Trump, including Steve Bannon, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, John Eastman, and others, many of whom were never formally accused of wrongdoing but were monitored as the FBI examined communications and activities surrounding efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.
The inquiry began under than-FBI Director Chris wray and later was overseen by special counsel Jack Smith from November 2022 after Attorney General Merrick Garland escalated the matter. The investigation also involved surveillance of phone toll records of several Republican senators and representatives, raising concerns about potential constitutional violations and political motivations. Conservative groups like the Conservative Partnership Institute faced scrutiny based on unverified allegations, some described as politically biased or speculative.
Additional details show that the FBI acquired government phones of Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, with help from officials in the Biden White House Counsel’s Office. Internal emails reveal that some FBI personnel relied on rumor-level details to justify parts of the investigation, casting doubt on its professionalism.The probe was ultimately authorized by high-level officials,including Garland,his deputy,and Wray,underscoring its importance as part of broader efforts to investigate alleged 2020 election subversion connected to Trump and his allies.
FBI Arctic Frost investigation targeted 160 Republican operatives, lawmakers in search of election crimes
FBI agents from field offices across the country assisted in a sweeping investigation known as Arctic Frost that targeted more than 160 Republican operatives, lawmakers, and Trump-aligned figures for possible 2020 election-related crimes, according to documents made public Tuesday that suggest the politically charged investigation was far more extensive than previously known.
The House Judiciary Committee, led by Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), disclosed new records provided by FBI Director Kash Patel revealing the Arctic Frost investigation was broader than initially understood and appeared to reach deeply into President Donald Trump’s political network as the former president prepared his 2024 comeback bid. The committee said the records show what Republicans describe as an aggressive effort under the former President Joe Biden‘s Justice Department to “take down President Trump and his supporters.”
🚨 #BREAKING: New Arctic Frost documents reveal even further wide ranging investigation by Biden’s DOJ to take down President Trump and his supporters.
HIGHLIGHTS:
-Arctic Frost investigators utilized FBI field offices from across the country to conduct its investigation.…
— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) October 28, 2025
The documents released Tuesday show that 45 individuals closely associated with Trump were flagged for possible investigation during Arctic Frost, alongside another 111 people in Trump’s broader political orbit, such as former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon, former New York City Mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former Trump attorney John Eastman, former Trump DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), and many others.
The records indicate that many of those swept into the probe were never accused of crimes and were placed under review as the FBI mapped contacts, communications, and activities surrounding efforts to challenge the 2020 election. The inquiry began under then-FBI Director Chris Wray and was subsequently taken over by then-special counsel Jack Smith in November 2022, after former Attorney General Merrick Garland elevated the matter and assigned it to Smith’s office.
Separate records released in recent weeks by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) revealed the FBI sought and obtained tolling data for the personal cellphones of eight Republican senators and one House Republican as part of Arctic Frost. That data covered calls made between Jan. 4 and Jan. 7, 2021, and included information on the time, duration, and general location of the calls. Although the records did not include call contents, Grassley has said the surveillance of lawmakers’ phone data represented a serious breach of constitutional protections and further demonstrated the investigation’s political nature. The FBI stored the records in what are known as “Prohibited Access” files, a restricted system that limits visibility to most FBI personnel.
The newly released House records also provide additional context for why conservative organizations came under scrutiny. The Conservative Partnership Institute, which had already been revealed in an earlier document release as a subject of the FBI’s interest alongside around 92 individuals and groups, such as Turning Point USA, drew additional scrutiny from the FBI, according to internal emails in which an FBI official relayed unverified allegations about CPI and its president, Ed Corrigan.
A redacted FBI personnel email exchange from Sept. 12, 2022, suggested that an unnamed source had claimed to the FBI that Corrigan was involved in extreme political activity and made speculative accusations about foreign influence and “civil war.” The FBI described Corrigan in an email as “anti-Biden” and “pro-Putin.”
This is so insane and so divorced from reality that it tells us the situation at the FBI was a million times worse than even those who think it’s unsalvageable believed. Ed Corrigan is one of the most beloved members of the conservative movement across every faction on the right. pic.twitter.com/eE0Tkm9j4n
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) October 28, 2025
“[Redacted] believes that Corrigan and his boss Mark Meadows are engaging in willful criminal activity. According to [redacted], Corrigan has [redacted] properties at which he wants to build up infrastructure to train people for civil war. Corrigan secretly controls the [House Freedom Caucus] and has plans that are not good for the FBI. Corrigan hates the FBI, who he refers to as spooks,” the email exchange read.
It remains unclear what investigative steps the FBI ultimately took based on that information, but the exchange elevates concerns about the seriousness and professionalism of the investigation, as rumor-level material was used to justify criminal inquiries into mainstream conservative institutions.
Other disclosures tied to Arctic Frost show that federal agents acquired the government-issued cell phones of Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, with assistance from officials inside the Biden White House Counsel’s Office.
A central figure in the early stages of the inquiry was former FBI official Timothy Thibault, whose alleged anti-Trump and pro-Biden bias has been a focus of GOP oversight. Whistleblowers previously told Senate investigators that Thibault helped initiate the Arctic Frost investigation in April 2022. He later left the bureau following scrutiny over his handling of politically sensitive matters.
Jordan’s release of Arctic Frost records follows Grassley’s revelation last week of a memo signed off on by Garland, his then-Assistant Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and Wray, which indicated the trio agreed to green-light the FBI investigation, which later formed the backbone of Smith’s 2020 election subversion case against Trump.
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