FBI Director Kash Patel just dropped a bombshell that has Washington buzzing with outrage over government overreach.
Breitbart reported that Patel disclosed on Monday that former Special Counsel Jack Smith, operating under the Biden administration’s Department of Justice, monitored the private communications of nearly a dozen Republican lawmakers while probing President Donald Trump and the January 6, 2021, protest.
This isn’t just a whisper in the wind; it’s a full-on storm of controversy involving heavyweights like Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, and Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, among others.
The list of targeted lawmakers reads like a who’s who of conservative stalwarts, including Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri, and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.
Documents unearthed by Fox News reveal that Smith’s team, dubbed “Arctic Frost,” went as far as subpoenaing telephone providers for these politicians’ records back in 2023, a move that raises serious questions about privacy and power.
An FBI official confirmed that Smith’s squad, established within the bureau in 2022, had access to details like who the lawmakers called, and even the locations of both the caller and recipient—talk about Big Brother getting cozy.
A source speaking to Fox News hinted that these tracked calls were likely tied back to the vote to certify the 2020 election, suggesting a political motive that smells more of partisan games than justice.
Patel, who recently discovered this surveillance, didn’t mince words about the implications. “We recently uncovered proof that phone records of U.S. lawmakers were seized for political purposes,” he declared, as reported by Fox News, signaling a betrayal of trust at the highest levels.
That’s a gut punch to anyone who believes in the separation of powers—when the executive branch starts snooping on the legislative, it’s not just a policy disagreement; it’s a constitutional crisis waiting to happen.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino personally briefed the affected lawmakers on Monday afternoon, and the response was swift and fierce during a press conference alongside Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, never one to shy away from plain talk, called it “a damn shame,” lamenting to Fox News, “I would’ve always thought it would’ve been North Korea, or China, or Russia, not our own government.”
His words cut deep—when a senator feels more threatened by his own administration than by foreign adversaries, it’s a stark reminder of how far trust in our institutions has eroded under certain leadership.
Several senators took to social media to vent their frustration, echoing the sentiment that this surveillance is an attack on democratic principles, with Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri describing it as an “abuse of power beyond Watergate.”
The investigation into Smith’s actions isn’t new; the U.S. Office of Special Counsel opened a probe in August into whether he unlawfully targeted Trump, as Breitbart News reported, adding fuel to the fire of suspicion around his methods.
With Patel and Bongino now at the helm, promising reform, conservatives can only hope this marks the end of the FBI being used as a political battering ram against dissenters, though skepticism remains about whether the deep state will truly be reined in.