Des Moines Sun

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), along with 16 other members of Congress, have formally requested that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) release all records related to the FBI’s efforts to obtain phone data from sitting members of Congress during the Arctic Frost investigation. The lawmakers are also asking the DOJ to seek judicial authorization for access to records currently protected by federal grand jury secrecy rules.

In a letter addressed to Attorney General Pamela Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, the group stated: “Given that these materials relate to an unprecedented collection of records and information on sitting [Members of Congress] and raise serious constitutional concerns, Congress’ need for these records clearly outweighs any interest in secrecy. Further, the unprecedented nature of the DOJ’s and FBI’s actions in collecting [Members of Congress’] communication records falls squarely within Congress’ constitutional duty to thoroughly investigate potential abuses of power and creates a uniquely exceptional circumstance that demands the release of otherwise protected records.”

The Arctic Frost investigation, which later became Special Counsel Jack Smith’s elector case, was first disclosed by whistleblowers who approached Grassley. On October 6, 2025, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino briefed lawmakers about the investigation, revealing that by September 27, 2023, the FBI had obtained call logs from at least nine members of Congress for calls made between January 4 and January 7, 2021.

The letter details requests for unredacted documents including communications among DOJ and FBI personnel about targeting members’ call logs, interactions with White House officials or other agencies regarding which members’ data to collect, legal processes used, any toll analysis conducted, copies of subpoenas served to cell phone carriers, and a list of both directly targeted members and those indirectly affected through communication.

The lawmakers noted they were told by Deputy Director Bongino that some records could not be accessed due to federal grand jury secrecy requirements. They asked the DOJ to immediately seek judicial authorization for their release.

The request is signed by all known members who were targeted as part of Arctic Frost and all Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The group expressed appreciation for the initial disclosure by the FBI but called for continued updates on investigations related to this matter. They emphasized their expectation that both agencies ensure transparency so that any wrongdoing is fully investigated.

“We are grateful for FBI’s initial disclosure of this information.We request that you continue to provide us and all affected parties with rolling updates on any related investigations and activities pertaining to this collection. We expect both DOJ and FBI to take the necessary steps to provide complete transparency to Congress so that the Biden administration’s targeting of sitting elected officials is thoroughly investigated and all wrongdoers are held fully accountable.”