Des Moines Sun

Under the Biden administration, the FBI launched an investigation in April 2022, known as Arctic Frost. Senator Chuck Grassley began his congressional oversight of the case in July 2022 after whistleblowers contacted his office. According to Grassley, the investigation was initiated to look into an alleged false electors scheme following the 2020 election. He claims his oversight has revealed a partisan motivation behind the investigation, targeting former President Trump and his associates.

Grassley stated, "Arctic Frost created the framework that Jack Smith, a special counsel appointed by the Biden Department of Justice (DOJ), used to form his election case against President Trump. Even before the special counsel appointment, I flagged the partisan bias of the senior FBI official who ran Arctic Frost. This official’s political tilt undermines the credibility of the entire investigation."

He identified FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault as having overseen public corruption matters and alleged that Thibault allowed personal political views to influence his decisions. Grassley said, "Whistleblower disclosures to my office revealed how Thibault bent FBI rules and, in so doing, weaponized the federal government to take down a political opponent. The Office of Special Counsel confirmed Thibault also broke the law; the Hatch Act prohibits political activity among federal employees while on duty."

The investigation reportedly involved hundreds of subpoenas and dozens of interviews nationwide. Grassley described it as "a sweeping partisan fishing expedition to take down political foes." He also noted that records released with Senator Ron Johnson showed efforts to link Trump to Jack Smith's electoral case and that 92 conservative organizations were targeted.

Grassley emphasized ongoing efforts for transparency: "Thanks to the courageous disclosures by whistleblowers, the truth is seeing the light of day. I’ll continue working to root out abuses of power to restore public trust in government."

When asked how this situation compares to Watergate, Grassley said his oversight has uncovered that at least eight Republican senators had their cell phone data accessed by the FBI during Arctic Frost, despite not being under investigation. He called this "a serious breach of the constitutional separation of powers." Grassley also claimed that documents related to Arctic Frost have been hidden within so-called Prohibited Access Files at the FBI.

"As a lifelong family farmer, I know it takes the light and heat of the sun to grow crops. Likewise, I’ve learned in Washington it takes the heat of congressional oversight, often aided by the courage of whistleblowers, to shine light on wrongdoing and hold government accountable to the public," Grassley said.

He added that he will continue pursuing records from various federal agencies and telecommunications companies related to Arctic Frost and its connection with Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation into Trump. Grassley concluded: "History shows transparency brings accountability. As a watchdog for good government, I’ll keep digging to root out wrongdoing to ensure the government works for the American people, not the other way around."