The probe was marked a ‘Sensitive Investigative Matter,’ making then-Attorney General Merrick Garland’s approval necessary to begin the investigation.
Former Attorney General Merrick Garland and former FBI Director Christopher Wray were among the officials who signed off on the “Arctic Frost” probe targeting top conservative figures and organizations, according to documents disclosed by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) office.
Just received this doc frm DOJ Proof that Biden Atty General Merrick Garland+ Deputy Atty General Lisa Monaco+ FBI Dir Chris Wray all PERSONALLY APPROVED opening Arctic Frost
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) October 23, 2025
This investigation unleashed unchecked govt power at the highest levels My oversight will continue pic.twitter.com/atuRnC8ara
According to the newly released documents, Arctic Frost—which tracked eight Republican senators’ phone calls and targeted conservative groups such as Turning Point USA—relied on Garland and then-Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco to move forward.
They’re the latest in a trove of documents related to the investigation that have been released by Grassley’s office.
The newest documents show that Wray forwarded a memo to Garland through Monaco’s office seeking approval to open a probe into alternative electoral slates presented by President Donald Trump’s allies during the 2020 election.
Because the investigation was marked as a “Sensitive Investigative Matter,” Garland’s sign-off was necessary to begin the investigation.
“Following the 2020 Presidential and Vice Presidential election, in an apparent effort to obstruct Congress’s certification of the Electoral College, fraudulent certificates of electors’ votes were submitted to the Archivist of the United States, purporting to represent the actual elector votes from the states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin,” an executive summary of the scope of the intended investigation said.
“Open source reporting and public statements made by individuals closely associated with Donald J. Trump, Inc. (Trump Campaign) present an articulable factual basis indicating the existence of a federal crime, and thus the FBI seeks to open a full investigation,” the release added.
The final page of the document shows that Garland approved the investigation on April 5.
A handwritten note at the bottom from Wray acknowledges receipt of the approval.
The Arctic Frost investigation would go on to serve as the basis for Special Counsel Jack Smith’s criminal prosecution of Trump related to the alternate elector plan. The charges were dropped after Trump won reelection in 2024.
By Joseph Lord
