Grassley drops FBI whistleblower records that show anti-Trump agent was behind Jack Smith 2020 case

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley on Thursday released a series of whistleblower records that allegedly show a former FBI agent who was known for being anti-Donald Trump, played an important role in Jack Smith's 2020 election interference case.

Grassley and Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Ron Johnson claimed that internal emails and records show that former FBI agent Timothy Thibault, who was fired in 2024 for violating the Hatch Act, sent a subordinate an email that included the language for what ultimately became Smith's false elector case. 

The investigation into Trump was formally opened by the FBI on April 13, 2022, and was known inside the agency as "Arctic Frost."

Thibault also allegedly improperly took action to open the investigation into Trump's role in the 2020 election interference case because he was not authorized to open investigations in his role, according to Fox News.

Grassley mentioned the whistleblower disclosures during President Donald Trump's nominee for FBI Director Kash Patel's confirmation hearing on Thursday, where he emphasized the American people's lack of trust in the bureau.

"Mr. Patel, in my time, I’ve never seen our law enforcement and intelligence community institutions so badly infected with political decision-making.  They’ve broken faith with We the People," Grassley said in his opening statements. 

"Partisan FBI agents and DOJ officials tried – and ultimately succeeded – in launching a full-field criminal investigation and prosecution of the President of the United States," he continued. "Justice Department and FBI leadership acted in concert to further a political scheme to take down Trump ... They have yet to learn their lesson ...  As I’ve said before, if a politically-charged investigation is to be opened, it must be done the right way. That didn’t happen here."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.