Former President Trump lashed out at Jack Smith, branding him “a true sleazebag,” after shocking news emerged that the FBI collected the phone records of eight Republican senators while Smith was in charge.
The FBI undertook a “preliminary toll analysis” on these Republican lawmakers in 2023 as part of the Biden administration’s “Arctic Frost” investigation led by Smith, according to a bombshell document shared by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Monday.
“Deranged Jack Smith got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. A total sleazebag!!!” Trump criticized on Truth Social.
Smith was the driving force behind the Justice Department team that charged Trump with 44 felony counts in two separate cases, including the incident concerning documents at Mar-a-Lago and allegations of 2020 election interference.
The Arctic Frost investigation was aimed at examining concerns regarding election interference during the 2020 election cycle.
The investigation began in April 2022, with Smith taking command later in the year.
The senators targeted by the FBI included Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), along with Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), as indicated in the document released by Grassley.
Republican senators expressed their shock over the revelation, stating they were unaware of any justification the FBI had for allegedly surveilling them. It appears the agency reviewed phone records such as call logs rather than directly listening to conversations, as noted by Johnson.
The single-page document released on Monday was a file dated September 27, 2023, titled “CAST Assistance,” pertaining to the bureau’s cellular analysis team.
The document suggested that the bureau had completed a “preliminary toll analysis on limited toll records.”
The discovery of this document was made by a team led by FBI Director Kash Patel when an employee sought recertification for the bureau’s CAST system and referenced it as an example of prior usage of the program, Johnson explained to the press.
Furious over the findings, GOP senators announced intentions to investigate the situation further.
<p“Given the evidence available thus far, the Arctic Frost probe and the alleged weaponization of federal law enforcement under Biden may be worse than Watergate,” Grassley stated in a release.
<p“If accountability doesn't occur in this town, no change will take place,” Grassley later remarked to journalists.
Earlier this year, whistleblowers claimed that the FBI had obtained phone data on Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence as part of the Arctic Frost probe.
Last month, it came to light that the FBI had 92 Republican-associated groups or individuals, including Turning Point USA, under investigation in connection with Arctic Frost.
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Additional documents suggest that the FBI used its investigative resources to scrutinize efforts to create an alternative slate of electors to contest the 2020 election outcomes.
Since Trump returned to the White House, his team has been closely examining Justice Department officials involved in the investigations surrounding the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
In August, it was confirmed that the Office of the Special Counsel (OSC) initiated a probe into Smith.
The former special counsel continues to believe that Trump would have faced conviction had he not been reelected.
