FBI Probe Targeted Conservative Groups, Including Kirk’s, Grassley Says

The ‘Arctic Frost’ inquiry ‘was the vehicle by which partisan FBI agents and DOJ prosecutors could achieve their partisan ends,’ the senator said at a hearing.

FBI Director Kash Patel (C) arrives to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley (L) on Capitol Hill on Sept. 16, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Tuesday released new documents suggesting that several conservative organizations were targeted by the FBI as part of its investigation into the aftermath of the 2020 election under then Director Christopher Wray.

The probe, dubbed “Arctic Frost,” served as the basis for Special Counsel Jack Smith’s federal prosecution of then-candidate Donald Trump, alleging that he had attempted to overturn the 2020 election.