Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley and Senator Ron Johnson have uncovered some interesting emails from FBI whistleblowers.
These emails show that Jonathan Su, who was President Joe Biden’s Deputy White House Counsel at the time, helped the FBI get hold of former President Donald Trump’s and former Vice President Mike Pence’s cell phones. This was all part of the early stages of an investigation known as “Arctic Frost,” which began after the events of January 6.
The emails also reveal the involvement of a future member of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team and an FBI agent who wasn’t exactly a fan of Trump.
Operation Arctic Frost laid the groundwork for the charges against Trump related to the so-called false elector scheme, which claimed the 2020 election was stolen.
Grassley and Johnson have sent these emails to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, urging them to cooperate fully.
“The emails highlight some serious collaboration between select FBI agents in Washington and prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Grassley and Johnson pointed out. They noted that Assistant Special Agent in Charge Thibault played a key role in pushing the investigation forward, even when others had doubts.
The emails also show how the Biden White House was involved in handing over Trump’s and Pence’s phones to the FBI, even though neither was officially under investigation at that time.
The whistleblower emails include an exchange between U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Chief John Crabb and Jonathan Su. Crabb asked Su to coordinate with Tim Thibault to pick up the phones. Su responded promptly, setting up a time to meet and hand over the devices.
By May 4, records show, the FBI had secured both Trump’s and Pence’s phones from the Biden White House. This was well before Trump became a subject of the Arctic Frost investigation.
Grassley and Johnson have been clear about their intentions to get to the bottom of this, sharing their findings in a letter to relevant authorities.
Back in April 2022, the FBI was already working on obtaining the government phones of Trump and Pence, as previously reported by Just the News. They were also interviewing key figures from Trump’s first administration. This included Trump’s deputy White House Counsel, who was among those questioned.
In January, Grassley released additional whistleblower records that highlighted Thibault’s significant role in Jack Smith’s 2020 election interference case.
Thibault, who was later fired in 2024 for violating the Hatch Act, had been instrumental in crafting the language that led to Smith’s false elector case. The senators’ letter exposes how Thibault selected certain agents to keep his involvement under wraps from FBI leadership.
Thibault assigned agents Michelle Ball and Jamie Garman to the case, intentionally keeping his own role hidden. An email shows him informing a colleague about his decisions. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Windom also had a hand in developing the probe before he joined Jack Smith’s team.
Emails among FBI staff mention Windom’s efforts to start interviewing witnesses and key figures in the case. On February 25, 2022, an agent wrote to Thibault about Windom’s plan to begin contacting represented individuals. Grassley and Johnson have previously noted the extensive resources spent on this investigation, which involved numerous interviews and legal actions.
Grassley and Johnson have not backed down in their quest for transparency. They’ve requested full disclosure of documents from the Department of Justice and the FBI regarding the Arctic Frost investigation. Setting a deadline for April 21, 2025, they insist on receiving all relevant records to fulfill their oversight duties.
