Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley have released whistleblower disclosures concerning the origins of a federal election interference case against former President Donald Trump. The documents suggest that an anti-Trump FBI agent, Timothy Thibault, initiated the investigation without proper authorization.
The materials provided to Senator Grassley reveal that Thibault, who was dismissed from his position as Assistant Special Agent in Charge due to public bias against Trump, drafted the initial language for what became Jack Smith’s case regarding the 2020 presidential election. This investigation was named “Arctic Frost.”
The records also show that Richard Pilger from the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section reviewed and approved the Arctic Frost investigation. This led to a full criminal and Grand Jury investigation into Trump’s electors. Grassley had previously raised concerns about Pilger’s record at the DOJ in a 2021 report.
In 2022, Grassley questioned Thibault’s role at the FBI, stating: “I remain very concerned that political bias by a select group of Justice Department and FBI officials has infected the Justice Department’s and FBI’s usual process and procedure to open and pursue high-profile and politically charged investigations.” Later that year, Senators Johnson and Grassley urged Jack Smith to preserve all records related to investigations targeting Trump.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Kash Patel’s nomination as FBI Director, Grassley presented several emails from Thibault discussing opening language for the case against Trump. These communications outlined steps taken within the FBI leading up to the approval of Arctic Frost.
Grassley’s statement included excerpts from emails dated between February 14 and April 13, 2022. These emails detailed discussions among FBI agents about including Trump as a subject in their investigation. They also showed interactions with John Crabb from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C., indicating coordination on advancing the case.
Grassley concluded by requesting further documentation to understand fully how decisions were made regarding Trump’s involvement in this investigation.
