Former special counsel Jack Smith reportedly tried to obtain former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) private phone records during his investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol building.
Smith also obtained phone records of several Republican lawmakers for the investigation.
From Fox News Digital:
Former special counsel Jack Smith allegedly sought the private, personal cellphone records of then-Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy as part of his investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots, Fox News Digital has learned.
Smith also sought the private phone records of now-former Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas.
Fox News Digital exclusively reviewed the document that FBI Director Kash Patel recently shared with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Sen. Ron Johnson containing the explosive revelations. Grassley and Johnson have been leading a joint investigation into Smith’s "Arctic Frost" probe.
According to the document, Smith, on Jan. 24, 2023, allegedly sought the "toll records for the personal cell phones of U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (AT&T) and U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert (Verizon.)"
The information was included as part of a "Significant Case Notification" drafted by the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division on May 25, 2023.
"Jack Smith's radical and deranged investigation was never about finding the truth," former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told Fox News Digital. "It was a blatant weaponizing of the Justice Department to attack political opponents of the Biden administration. Perhaps no action underscores this point more than the illegal attempt to access the phone records of sitting members of the House and Senate — including the Speaker of the House."
"His illegal targeting demands real accountability," McCarthy continued. "And I am confident Congress will hold hearings and access documents in its investigation into Jack Smith's own abuses."
"At the same time, I will ask my own counsel to pursue all areas of redress so this does not happen to anyone else," McCarthy said.
EXCLUSIVE: Former Special Counsel Jack Smith targeted the private, personal cell phone records of then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as part of his Jan. 6 investigation https://t.co/TA9rjcUX0D https://t.co/8SFEIc0JHc
— Caressa (@Caressa41256759) November 13, 2025
The FBI launched Operation Arctic Frost in April 2022 with the approval of then-Attorney General Merrick Garland and then-FBI Director Christopher Wray. The investigation initially focused on whether President Donald Trump had committed any crimes related to the 2020 election.
The investigation was later transferred to Smith, who was appointed to look into election interference and Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) earlier this year released documents showing that Arctic Frost was essentially a mass surveillance operation targeting Republican officials. The FBI issued almost 200 subpoenas seeking records and communications from 439 Republican individuals and organizations.
The surveillance included phone metadata from nine Republican lawmakers, including Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and several others. The Bureau also surveilled conservative groups like Turning Point USA, the Republican National Committee, and the Conservative Partnership Institute.
After Trump took office earlier this year, FBI Director Kash Patel fired some of the agents involved in the operation.