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Washington, D.C. – A new report released this week has sparked political tensions in the U.S. Congress after it was revealed that former special counsel Jack Smith and his team of investigators allegedly monitored the private communications and phone records of nearly a dozen Republican lawmakers during the investigation into the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

According to an internal document reviewed exclusively by Fox News, the investigative team identified as "Arctic Frost," under Smith's direction, allegedly requested and tracked information related to the phone and data activity of several Republican senators and representatives, claiming to be looking for possible connections or information flows relevant to the case.

Among the lawmakers mentioned in the report are Lindsey Graham (South Carolina), Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee), Ron Johnson (Wisconsin), Josh Hawley (Missouri), Cynthia Lummis (Wyoming), Bill Hagerty (Tennessee), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), and Tommy Tuberville (Alabama), as well as Representative Mike Kelly (Pennsylvania).

 

An intelligence operation under suspicion

The report suggests that the "Arctic Frost" team obtained telephone metadata, call records, and possibly encrypted messaging information belonging to the lawmakers and some of their close aides, without any public confirmation of the existence of court orders authorizing such actions.

If verified, the use of these techniques could rekindle the debate over the limits of federal investigations and respect for the principle of separation of powers, as it would involve surveillance of sitting members of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Sources close to the investigation consulted by US media indicated that the monitoring occurred between 2021 and 2023, in the context of the Department of Justice's efforts to determine whether communications existed between elected officials and protesters who participated in the Capitol riots.