A document, reviewed by Fox News Digital, revealed that Jack Smith and his "Arctic Frost" team investigating Jan. 6 were allegedly tracking the phone calls of GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and others. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The document states the names of the lawmakers and that an FBI special agent on Smith’s team "conducted preliminary toll analysis" on the toll records associated with the lawmakers.
An FBI official told Fox News Digital that Smith and his team tracking the senators were able to see which phone numbers they called, the location the phone call originated and the location where it was received.
A source said the calls were likely in reference to the vote to certify the 2020 election.
A source said Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel felt it was important to brief the senators "as soon as possible" after the discovery of the record. (@FBIDDBongino on X)
A source said Bongino and FBI Director Patel felt it was important to brief the senators "as soon as possible" after the discovery of the record.
"It is a disgrace that I have to stand on Capitol Hill and reveal this — that the FBI was once weaponized to track the private communications of U.S. lawmakers for political purposes," Bongino told Fox News Digital. "That era is over."
Bongino added: "Under our leadership, the FBI will never again be used as a political weapon against the American people."
Special Counsel Jack Smith delivers remarks on a recently unsealed indictment including four felony counts against former U.S. President Donald Trump at the Justice Department on August 1, 2023 in Washington, DC. Trump was indicted on four felony counts for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
FBI officials told Fox News Digital that the newly discovered records were pursuant to an oversight request by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
Patel and Bongino personally directed additional review of the "Arctic Frost" case after Grassley’s request.
An FBI official told Fox News Digital that "Arctic Frost" is a "prohibited case," and that the review required FBI officials to go "above and beyond in order to deliver on this promise of transparency." The discovery is part of a broader ongoing review, Fox News Digital has learned.
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"The American people deserve the truth, and under my leadership, they will have it," Patel told Fox News Digital. "We promised accountability for those who weaponized law enforcement, and we will deliver it."
Patel added: "Under our watch, the FBI will never again be turned against the American people."
Smith, after months of investigating, charged President Donald Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request.
Smith's case cost taxpayers more than $50 million.
Fox News Digital was unable to reach Smith for comment.
Brooke Singman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/jack-smith-tracked-private-communications-calls-nearly-dozen-gop-senators-during-j6-probe-fbi-says