More than 160 Republicans potentially investigated in FBI’s Arctic Frost probe, House panel says

The GOP-led House Judiciary Committee disclosed Tuesday that more than 160 Republicans – including many closely connected to President Donald Trump – were targeted for possible investigation during the Biden Justice Department’s Arctic Frost investigation.

The committee tweeted that recently reviewed documents show the Arctic Frost investigation appears more wide-ranging than initially believed in Biden's DOJ's effort to "take down President Trump and his supporters.” 

The nearly 200 pages of documents provide new insights into the sweeping investigation aimed at Trump World, which was launched by the FBI under then-Director Chris Wray and later picked up by former DOJ special counsel Jack Smith under then-Attorney General Merrick Garland.

The committee, led by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said that “45 individuals” including former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon, Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Trump DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, former Trump attorney John Eastman, and former Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., “were potentially under investigation.”

The GOP-led committee argued that “another 111 individuals” including Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro, Trump senior adviser Dan Scavino, former Trump DOJ official Jeff Rosen, and current DOJ weaponization czar Ed Martin “were also potentially under investigation.”

The new records revealed the internal threat tags used by the FBI for this investigation, including “FRAUD CORRUPT”, “CORRUPT”, “PCORRUPT”, and “PCORRUPT_CAMP.” The newly-released documents also include the FBI’s “predication” for making various people “targets” of the investigation.

The new records include a declassified October 2020 “Tactical Intelligence Report” from the FBI’s Washington Field Office which claimed that “Trump Campaign Funds Layered through Clearinghouse Firm Likely Misused by Campaign Digital Director.”

The newly-released FBI emails from May 2022 show a redacted official from Washington Field Office saying, “Thank you again (and again and again) for your help in interviews in Arctic Frost.” The message was sent to many different regional FBI field offices.

One unidentified FBI official sent an email remarking that “everything” related to the Arctic Frost investigation “is restricted” inside the FBI systems.

Another FBI Washington Field Office email that month said: “The Arctic Frost team is requesting approximately $16,600 from PCU [Public Corruption Unit] for travel in June to conduct more than 40 interviews, serve subpoenas, and execute several cellular device search warrants.” The attached document listed out dozens of GOP-linked officials from Arizona, Virginia, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico.

A record from September 2022 was titled “Subpoena_Counsel_Matrix” and listed dozens of GOP-linked activists, public officials, purported electors, and government employees allegedly tied to events surrounding the 2020 election.

The Jordan-led committee also publicly released on Tuesday letters from December 2022 from the leaders of the January 6 select congressional committee — headed up by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Ga., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. — telling Smith that they “want to make evidence we have gathered available to the Department of Justice.” Cheney went on to endorse now-former Vice President Kamala Harris in her unsuccessful race against Trump last year.

Recently-declassified revelations related to Arctic Frost chronicle the 2022 lawfare assault against then-former President Trump and MAGA world, as criminal inquiries – which would soon lead to criminal charges – spun into high gear as Trump leaned toward running for president again.

New evidence shows that Wray, Garland, and then-Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco signed off on the launch of the Arctic Frost inquiry into Trump related to the Capitol riot.

Unearthed emails also show that the Biden White House Counsel’s Office coordinated with an anti-Trump FBI agent to hand over phones which had belonged to Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence.

Arctic Frost also targeted dozens of GOP officials and organizations, according to documents released earlier this year.

The recent revelation that the FBI snooped on the phone records of Republican members of Congress during its January 6 investigation is bringing greater scrutiny to Wray and Smith.

These revelations are also putting the spotlight on former FBI agent Timothy Thibault, whom Republicans argue showed extreme anti-Trump bias, demonstrated a willingness to target Trump early in his first term, attempted to slow walk or block the FBI’s investigation into Hunter Biden, and in early 2022 helped spark Arctic Frost investigation — later carried on by Smith — which led to criminal charges against Trump related to the Capitol riot.