Former Special Counsel Jack Smith and members of his investigative team allegedly monitored the private communications and phone records of multiple Republican senators during their investigation into the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots, according to a document obtained by Fox News Digital.

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The document, titled “CAST Assistance,” and dated September 27, 2023, was reportedly uncovered by FBI Director Kash Patel and reviewed by Fox News Digital.

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It describes surveillance activity carried out under the case name “ARCTIC FROST—Election Law Matters—SENSITIVE INVESTIGATIVE MATTER—CAST.”

The term “CAST” refers to the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team, which specializes in phone data analysis.

According to the document, the “Arctic Frost” team, led by Smith, tracked the phone records of several Republican lawmakers, including Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, along with Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.

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The document indicates that an FBI special agent assigned to Smith’s team “conducted preliminary toll analysis” of the toll records associated with those lawmakers.

https://www.scribd.com/document/929348598/Arctic-Frost-FEDERAL-BUREAU-OF-INVESTIGATION-Electronic-Communication#fullscreen=1

FBI officials confirmed to Fox News Digital that this analysis would have allowed investigators to view phone numbers called, the originating and receiving locations of those calls, and related communication data.

Sources told Fox News Digital that the activity likely related to the lawmakers’ communications during the certification of the 2020 election results.

The records were reportedly obtained after Smith’s team issued subpoenas to major telecommunications providers in 2023, months after Smith took control of the Jan. 6 probe in November 2022.

The “Arctic Frost” case itself was opened on April 13, 2022.

Fox News Digital reported that FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and Director Kash Patel are briefing the affected lawmakers on Capitol Hill following the discovery.

According to a source familiar with the briefing, Bongino and Patel prioritized alerting the senators “as soon as possible” once they learned of the surveillance.

“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.”

An FBI official confirmed that the discovery came in response to an oversight request from Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

Patel and Bongino subsequently directed a broader review of the “Arctic Frost” case to determine the full extent of the surveillance activities.

According to officials cited by Fox News Digital, “Arctic Frost” is considered a “prohibited case,” meaning that special approval was required for such investigative actions.

The review is part of a larger internal audit ordered to address what Patel described as “a promise of transparency.”

“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, who oversaw multiple high-profile investigations during his tenure as special counsel, charged President Donald Trump in 2023 in connection with the 2020 election case.

Following Trump’s election to the presidency, Smith moved to dismiss the case, a request that was granted by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan.

According to Fox News Digital, the “Arctic Frost” review remains ongoing, and the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General is expected to be briefed on the findings. The cost of Smith’s investigation is estimated to have exceeded $50 million.

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