(Ken Silva, Headline USA) During the 2020 presidential debates, Joe Biden warned that America was about to enter a “dark winter.” In keeping with that theme, the FBI’s operation against Donald Trump was code-named “Arctic Frost,” newly released whistleblower documents show.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released the documents on Thursday during the confirmation hearing for Trump’s nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel. Along with revealing the code-name Arctic Winter, the internal emails show that the same senior official who obstructed the bureau’s Hunter Biden investigation also led the FBI’s case against Trump. That agent, former FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault, retired in 2022 after Grassley exposed his anti-Trump bias.
During the 2020 debates, Joe Biden warned that America was about to enter a “dark winter.” In keeping with that theme, the FBI’s operation against Donald Trump was code-named “Arctic Frost,” newly released whistleblower documents show. pic.twitter.com/G5LwTamP04
— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) January 30, 2025
One of the emails from Thibault, dated Feb. 14, 2022, asks another FBI official to review his draft opening of the operation that would later be code-named Arctic Fox. That email included the draft, which contained similar language that would eventually appear in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictment against Trump. Specifically, Thibault detailed Trump’s so-called “fake electors” scheme—the plan to use alternate electors to challenge the results of controversial results in Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona.
Grassley said the fact that Thibault’s initial draft was incorporated in Smith’s failed indictment suggests that the senior FBI agent essentially opened and approved his own investigation.
At the Kash Patel senate hearing, Senator Grassley releases previously unseen FBI emails referencing project “Arctic Frost,” proving the FBI’s efforts to prosecute Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/rKRt0Iq28X
— Timcast News (@TimcastNews) January 30, 2025
Grassley also noted that the emails he released didn’t initially list Trump as a criminal subject of Arctic Fox. Even though he wasn’t initially a criminal subject, he was indicted anyway (the Supreme Court largely collapsed Smith’s case last year when it ruled that former Presidents have immunity for official acts they take in office, and Smith dropped the case altogether after Trump’s election victory). Grassley wants to know who decided to make the decision to add Trump as a criminal subject.
“Was Trump still removed as an investigative subject? If so, which Justice Department and FBI officials—other than Jack Smith—later added him for prosecution?” Grassley asked on Thursday.
Grassley told Patel that if he’s approved to become FBI director, the senator expects him to produce all records on this matter. Patel promised he’d respond to all “appropriate” congressional requests for information.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
