A recently unveiled FBI memorandum that initiated the Biden-era “Arctic Frost” investigation into former President Donald Trump and numerous Republican lawmakers has drawn criticism from former prosecutors and FBI officials, who argue it contained weak evidence and questionable legal grounds.
The Arctic Frost operation—originally directed by an FBI supervisor known for anti-Trump remarks before later being transferred to Special Counsel Jack Smith—focused on whether Trump allies’ attempts to propose alternate electors during the 2020 certification process constituted a criminal conspiracy. Historical precedents for similar actions, however, did not result in prosecutions, Just the News reported.
Documents indicate that the 2022 memo launching the investigation, issued shortly after Trump announced his presidential run, relied largely on media sources such as CNN interview footage to infer potential involvement—an approach that analysts described as lacking substantive proof.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan asserted that the memo demonstrated the same “politicized overreach” seen during the 2016 “Crossfire Hurricane” inquiry into alleged Trump-Russia ties. Jordan, who obtained the materials from FBI Director Kash Patel, argued that both cases were driven by partisan motives rather than solid intelligence.
“It seems to reflect the same political targeting we saw before—using investigations to pursue opponents,” Jordan said during an interview on Just the News, No Noise.
He continued, “The same mindset that inserted the discredited dossier into intelligence briefings in 2016 appears to be alive in 2022 with Arctic Frost and later under Jack Smith’s leadership.”
Smith has publicly denied any misconduct, maintaining that he intends to provide his version of events. Jordan has invited him to testify before Congress and has warned that a subpoena could follow if Smith declines.
Recent disclosures from Patel suggest that the Arctic Frost initiative received approval from top Biden administration officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and FBI Director Christopher Wray—with input from a White House lawyer.
The investigation focused on the efforts of Republican officials in multiple states to submit alternate elector slates before the congressional certification of the 2020 election results on January 6, 2021. Eventually, the probe moved from the FBI to Smith’s office, which issued hundreds of subpoenas to Trump associates.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released nearly 200 of those subpoenas, revealing that more than 400 Republican organizations and individuals were targeted for information.
Meanwhile, the House Judiciary Committee disclosed that over 160 GOP members, many aligned with Trump, were flagged for potential scrutiny under Arctic Frost.
The formal electronic communication authorizing the new case, labeled “Arctic Frost,” was issued in April 2022 as a “Sensitive Investigative Matter.” It was approved by then–Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault—who later resigned amid revelations of partisan social media activity—along with senior FBI officials Steve D’Antuono and Paul Abbate.
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