We've known for a while that the FBI and DOJ, under the Biden administration, ran an operation called "Arctic Frost" that targeted conservative figures and organizations, including the late Charlie Kirk and TPUSA. Yesterday, we learned that former Special Counsel Jack Smith was also monitoring the private communications of nearly a dozen GOP senators, including Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Josh Hawley (R-MO).
In response to that revelation, FBI Director Kash Patel has started cleaning house. Here's what Fox News is reporting:
The FBI has already terminated employees and abolished the CR-15 squad just one day after it was revealed that several Republicans’ private communications and phone calls had been tracked.
FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday announced the actions the bureau had taken in response to the revelation of the "baseless monitoring" during the Biden administration and promised more actions to come.
"We are cleaning up a diseased temple three decades in the making — identifying the rot, removing those who weaponized law enforcement for political purposes and those who do not meet the standards of this mission while restoring integrity to the FBI. I promised reform, and I intend to deliver it," Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
In an interview with Fox News, Sen. Hawley said, "What I know...the Biden DOJ specifically targeted a group of us. They asked for our call records so they could see who we talked to, who called us. I believe also track our location over a period of days."
"This is outrageous," Hawley continued. "It's blatantly unconstitutional. It's a violation of the First Amendment, it's a violation of the separation of powers. And it also goes to show you the extent to which the Biden administration was so corrupt, using the FBI to target their political enemies. And let's not forget they didn't just do it to Senators, they did to school board parents...they did it to 92 conservative organizations, including Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA. They tried to recruit spies into Catholic parishes."
"We need a total investigation...and I think there needs to be prosecutions," Hawley said.
Biden's FBI spied on my phone calls AND tracked my location
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) October 7, 2025
But they didn't stop there. They also targeted parents, pro-lifers & 92 conservative organizations like Charlie Kirk's TPUSA
We need a thorough investigation - and there needs to be prosecutions pic.twitter.com/19r7uA1H4b
Patel replied to Sen. Hawley, writing, "This FBI discovered and exposed the weaponization of law enforcement. We are ON IT."
This @FBI discovered and exposed the weaponization of law enforcement.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) October 7, 2025
We are ON IT https://t.co/Py9q56iVnF
In another post on X, Patel added "Transparency and accountability aren't slogans, they're promises kept."
They tracked the communications of GOP Senators. They weaponized law enforcement against the American people. That era is over.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) October 7, 2025
We fired those who acted unethically, dismantled the corrupt CR-15 squad, and launched an investigation.
Transparency and accountability aren’t… pic.twitter.com/2vRlZrA20R
According to Fox News, the tracking of Senators' phones was likely in relation to the vote to certify the 2020 election.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was also monitored by Smith, said of Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, "[They] are trying to clean up the mess they inherited. They should be congratulated for finding this and exposing it. What happened should unnerve everybody."