Sen. Lindsey Graham announced he will sue over the FBI probe codenamed "Arctic Frost," alleging it tracked his phone records and those of other Republican lawmakers. He called the investigation "worse than Watergate" and tied its timing to actions after former President Trump announced his 2024 campaign. Reporting says the probe opened April 13, 2022, and that Jack Smith was named special counsel in November 2022. Graham says he seeks accountability for what he describes as politically motivated targeting.
Lindsey Graham Announces Lawsuit Over ‘Arctic Frost’ Probe Allegedly Targeting GOP Lawmakers’ Phone Records
Sen. Lindsey Graham announced he will sue over the FBI probe codenamed "Arctic Frost," alleging it tracked his phone records and those of other Republican lawmakers. He called the investigation "worse than Watergate" and tied its timing to actions after former President Trump announced his 2024 campaign. Reporting says the probe opened April 13, 2022, and that Jack Smith was named special counsel in November 2022. Graham says he seeks accountability for what he describes as politically motivated targeting.
12:12 AM, 11/20/2025Politics
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he will sue over an FBI investigation codenamed "Arctic Frost," which he alleges improperly targeted him and other Republican lawmakers by seizing phone records and monitoring private communications. Speaking on television, Graham called the investigation "worse than Watergate" and vowed he "isn't going to put up" with what he described as politically motivated legal targeting.
Graham linked the timing of the probe to developments after former President Donald Trump announced his 2024 campaign, saying the scrutiny intensified after Jack Smith was appointed special counsel. "Three days later, Jack Smith is appointed special counsel in November 2022. By August of 2023, there are 91 felony charges against him [Trump] coming from New York, Washington and Atlanta. My phone records were seized as part of this. I am tired of this," Graham said.
Reporting has alleged that former special counsel Jack Smith's team tracked the communications or phone records of nearly a dozen Republican members of Congress in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, investigation. Lawmakers named in those reports include:
- Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)
- Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)
- Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)
- Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.)
- Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.)
- Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska)
- Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.)
- Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.)
According to records reviewed in reporting, the FBI opened the matter codenamed "Arctic Frost" on April 13, 2022. Jack Smith was later appointed special counsel in November 2022 and assumed responsibility for parts of the broader inquiry into events connected to Jan. 6.
Graham has repeatedly demanded accountability from investigators tied to the probe, asserting that their actions violated the constitutional separation of powers and amounted to politically motivated "lawfare" against Trump allies. He told audiences that investigators "need to pay big" and said he is preparing legal action to challenge the seizure of his records.
The FBI did not immediately provide a public response to inquiries about the allegations. Representatives for Jack Smith have not publicly commented on the specific claims about surveillance of lawmakers' communications.
Reporter note: Brooke Singman contributed reporting to the original coverage.