Grassley, Johnson, drop records revealing FBI obtained cellphones of Trump, Pence

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley on Friday sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, revealing that the bureau allegedly obtained the cellphones of President Donald Trump and his former Vice President Mike Pence.

The revelation was unveiled in legally protected whistleblower disclosures from Grassley and Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Ron Johnson, and was part of the FBI's Arctic Frost investigation. 

“Sunshine is the best disinfectant,” the chairmen wrote to Bondi and Patel. “The American people deserve to know the complete extent of the corruption within the DOJ and FBI that led to the investigation into President Trump. 

"We are making this information public for purposes of public accountability and to provide specific examples of past behavior at your institutions that must not be repeated," they continued. "Quite simply, the public has a right to know what happened in Arctic Frost and, based on what we’ve exposed to date, the American public deserves better from its law enforcement agencies."

The new information is important because Operation Arctic Frost formed the basis of former Special Counsel Jack Smith's false elector case. 

The senators revealed that the bureau began its process of acquiring the pair's government phones in April of 2022. The phones were in the possession of the Biden White House. The FBI officially obtained them that May. 

The bureau also interviewed key members of the first Trump administration, including his deputy White House Counsel. 

The senators added that in just four days in June of 2022, the bureau "spent approximately $16,000 in taxpayer-funded travel to 'conduct more than 40 interviews, serve subpoenas and execute several cellular device search warrants.'"

The senators also asked Patel for all documents and records related to the Arctic Frost Investigation, including how much the team spent, by March 27.

[Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that the FBI had listened into calls between President Trump and VP Pence. That did not happen. As this updated story says, the FBI "began its process of acquiring the pair's government phones in April of 2022. The phones were in the possession of the Biden White House. The FBI officially obtained them that May."]

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