Whistleblower says Jack Smith gathered journalists’ messages for Arctic Frost
Former special counsel Jack Smith conducted an inquiry called “Arctic Frost,” during which he obtained private messages involving journalists from over a dozen national news outlets, related to his probe into President Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Thes messages were disclosed by a whistleblower to Senate Judiciary committee Chairman Chuck Grassley. The records were part of a broader effort that included facts from 87 phones used by Trump-era officials,obtained through a subpoena to the National Archives. The journalists whose messages were accessed worked for outlets such as the Associated Press,Reuters,CNN,Fox News,and others; tho,thay were not targets of the investigation,only their communications with government officials. Grassley criticized what he called government overreach and partisan misuse of investigatory powers. During a Senate hearing, Smith asserted his actions adhered to Department of Justice policies and were driven by evidence.The investigation also revealed extensive surveillance of lawmakers, including Republicans, with records showing interaction between Trump officials and Congress members, suggesting efforts to investigate potential collusion during the certification of Biden’s 2020 victory.Additionally, investigators obtained thousands of donor checks, including personal details, from individuals across the U.S., and smith dismissed claims that Republicans were specifically targeted because of their political affiliation.
Former special counsel Jack Smith gathered reporters’ private messages as part of his “Arctic Frost” investigation, according to a whistleblower disclosure to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA).
The records show Smith’s team received communications involving reporters from more than a dozen national news organizations while investigating President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The messages were produced by the National Archives in response to a June 2023 subpoena seeking records associated with 87 phones used by officials in Trump’s first White House.
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The journalists worked for outlets including the Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, CNBC, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, NPR, and the Los Angeles Times, according to Grassley’s office.
The disclosure does not indicate that the journalists themselves were targets of the investigation. Rather, their messages with government officials were included in the White House records obtained by investigators.
“What will the partisan media say about this disgraceful government overreach? This wasn’t a normal prosecution by any means,” Grassley said in announcing the findings.
The disclosure came the same day Smith appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Republicans pressed him over the breadth of Arctic Frost and Democrats defended the investigation into Trump.
Smith maintained that his investigation followed Department of Justice policies and was driven by evidence rather than politics.
Much of Tuesday’s hearing focused on Smith’s efforts to obtain records involving lawmakers. Grassley for months has released records showing the surveillance by Smith’s team extended to a large number of Republican lawmakers as well.
As part of Smith’s surveillance sweep, he obtained communications between Trump White House officials and members of Congress through the National Archives subpoena. Grassley has said subpoenas for 87 White House phones yielded communications involving 44 lawmakers, including the timing and contents of personal conversations, not just phone tolls.
Smith told senators those records were relevant because investigators had evidence Trump and his allies contracted lawmakers as Congress prepared to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.
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During the hearing, Grassley also disclosed that investigators obtained at least 4,782 donor checks, including for contributions to Trump as small as $1. The chairman said the checks included home addresses, bank account and routing numbers, and signatures from people across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
Smith rejected accusations that Republicans were targeted because of their political affiliation.
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