WASHINGTON, D.C. – Republican Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson have intensified their investigation into the FBI’s 2022 search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, focusing on the potential involvement of the Biden administration and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
In a recent letter, the senators requested all communications between NARA, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the FBI, and the Biden White House related to the Mar-a-Lago raid and the broader “Arctic Frost” investigation, which later contributed to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s case against Trump.
The “Arctic Frost” investigation, initiated in 2022, reportedly involved the acquisition of government-issued cell phones from Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence without initial search warrants. Whistleblower disclosures suggest that former FBI Assistant Special Agent Timothy Thibault played a central role in launching the probe, despite lacking authorization to initiate criminal investigations in his position.
Further scrutiny has been directed at Thibault due to internal FBI emails released by Grassley, indicating that he expressed approval upon learning of the 2022 indictment of former White House adviser Peter Navarro. Thibault resigned from the FBI in August 2022 amid allegations of politicized conduct, including claims that he suppressed information related to Hunter Biden.
The senators’ inquiry also highlights concerns about the coordination between NARA and the DOJ in the lead-up to the Mar-a-Lago search. They are seeking records that could shed light on the extent of the Biden administration’s involvement in the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified information.
This ongoing investigation by Senators Grassley and Johnson aims to uncover the depth of inter-agency collaboration and the potential politicization of federal law enforcement actions.
