FBI Toll Analysis of GOP Senators' Phones

Republican senators released a Sept. 27, 2023 FBI document showing that former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 probe, codenamed "Arctic Frost," conducted a "preliminary toll analysis" on the phone records of eight GOP senators and Rep. Mike Kelly, collecting call dates, times, durations and location data but not call content. The records were obtained in 2023 via grand-jury-approved subpoenas to major carriers. FBI officials, including Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, briefed lawmakers after the material surfaced during a broader review. Senators led by Chuck Grassley called the seizure unconstitutional and politically weaponized and demanded accountability, though officials say there is no public indication the lawmakers were formal targets. The disclosure adds detail to Smith’s since-shuttered investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election; its criminal case against Donald Trump was dismissed after his 2024 reelection. The revelations have intensified partisan allegations of FBI politicization and prompted calls for further oversight.