Grassley Releases New Arctic Frost Records, Raising Additional Questions about Jack Smith’s Conduct and Candor

Grassley Releases New Arctic Frost Records, Raising Additional Questions about Jack Smith's Conduct and Candor

WASHINGTON - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today delivered remarks at a Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Arctic Frost, Jack Smith's failed election case against President Trump that began at the Biden Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Grassley additionally made public new Arctic Frost records provided by the Department of Justice and Verizon, including two of Smith's subpoenas for now-FBI Director Kash Patel's phone records. Grassley released the documents alongside Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action and Federal Rights.

Video and a transcript of his remarks follow.

Prepared Opening Statement by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
"Arctic Frost: A Modern Watergate"
Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action and Federal Rights
Tuesday, March 24, 2026

VIDEO

Thank you, Chairman Cruz, for your leadership on this matter.

Today is the second in a series of Arctic Frost hearings that I've authorized as Chairman.

I started my investigation into Arctic Frost in July 2022 based on credible whistleblower disclosures.

Senator Ron Johnson has since joined the investigation, and I appreciate our joint work.

Our goal is to publicly release as many records as possible.

The public has a right to know how their taxpayer dollars have been used and who was involved up and down the decision-making chain.

Today, we're making new records public.

Some records are dated January 2023, before Jack Smith's team secretly sought most member tolling data.

The records include a wish list created by Smith's team naming 14 members of Congress for whom they wanted to seek tolling data. Some of those members are senators on this very Committee.

But, the list notes that Smith's team already knew these members had communications, to include text messages for some members, with individuals associated with President Trump.

And Jack Smith was certainly aware of this effort. To quote from the emails we're making public today, "before we tell Main (as in main Justice), we're going to fire off subpoenas for so many members tolls I should make sure Jack's aware."

Another record states that it's "unlikely that many of those members will cooperate with our investigation."

The same record also says the members "likely have a valid Speech or Debate privilege immunizing them from compelled testimony."

I've already publicly released other records showing Smith's team was warned that subpoenaing congressional information could violate the Speech or Debate clause.

I've also publicly released 197 subpoenas seeking sensitive financial information from over 400 Republican groups and individuals. Some of the information sought included legislative branch communications.

Even with these constitutional concerns, Smith's team secretly sought and obtained member of Congress tolling data. And when one phone company pushed back, Smith backed down. That calls into question the necessity of obtaining member data.

Another record calls into question Jack Smith's assertion that the House January 6th Committee materials "comprised a small part of the Office's investigative record."

This new record says of the January 6 report, "Leadership team fully read and reviewed. Last weekend we went over it page by page and incorporated into our investigative plan."

Indeed, this same record that we're making public today says that Smith's team will be "logging all information contained in the report."

The record also states Smith's team will "leverage" the report to "avoid needless interviews and focus the interviews we perform on underdeveloped topics."

Overall, the records create additional questions about Smith's conduct, need for member data and candor to the court and the public.

The Democrats have criticized us for not bringing Jack Smith before us at the beginning.

If we'd followed the Democrats' premature and ill-advised strategy, we wouldn't have had a great deal of information we now have that shows Jack Smith misled Congress and the public, if not outright lied.

And lastly, today, we're also making public two subpoenas for the toll records of FBI Director Patel, along with the non-disclosure orders that kept them secret.

This Committee's work will continue.

-30-

• Print
• Email
• Like
• Tweet