Patel Fires FBI Agents Behind Domestic Spying Of GOP Senators
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed this week that multiple agents have been terminated for their role in a domestic spying operation that secretly targeted at least ten Republican members of Congress — all of them supporters of President Donald J. Trump — in an alleged attempt to “fortify” the 2020 election.
According to internal bureau documents and statements from Patel, the surveillance operation involved monitoring phone activity and communications of Republican senators who were expected to object to the certification of Joe Biden’s reported 2020 election victory.
The FBI’s political corruption unit, known internally as CR-15, was dismantled following revelations that the Biden administration had overseen the monitoring of private communications between Republican lawmakers, Patel said. The dismissed agents had reportedly been assisting former Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led politically charged prosecutions against President Trump.
“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 restoring integrity to the FBI,” Patel said in a statement. “I promised reform, and I intend to deliver it.”
Patel emphasized that “accountability is non-negotiable.”
“Transparency is important, and accountability is critical,” he wrote on X. “We terminated employees, we abolished the weaponized CR-15 squad, and we initiated an ongoing investigation with more accountability measures ahead.”
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino echoed Patel’s remarks, writing,
“We promised you transparency and accountability. We will continue to deliver on those promises. You deserve better.”
The CR-15 squad, based in the Washington Field Office, had long handled politically sensitive investigations and reportedly supported Jack Smith’s “Arctic Frost” probe — an internal operation examining communications tied to January 6, 2021.
Newly surfaced internal documents reveal that Smith’s team tracked private phone calls and communications of at least nine Republican senators and one House member, including:
- Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC)
- Sen. Marsha Blackburn (TN)
- Sen. Ron Johnson (WI)
- Sen. Josh Hawley (MO)
- Sen. Cynthia Lummis (WY)
- Sen. Bill Hagerty (TN)
- Sen. Dan Sullivan (AK)
- Sen. Tommy Tuberville (AL)
- Rep. Mike Kelly (PA)
The internal record, titled “CAST Assistance” and dated September 27, 2023, lists the lawmakers by name and assigns an FBI special agent to conduct a “preliminary toll analysis” — a review of phone metadata and call activity linked to their numbers. The case identifier reads: “ARCTIC FROST — Election Law Matters — SENSITIVE.”
“CAST” refers to the Cellular Analysis Survey Team, a specialized FBI unit trained to trace phone networks and digital activity.
Reacting to the revelation, President Trump wrote on Truth Social:
“Deranged Jack Smith got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. A real sleazebag!!!”
Smith, who previously spearheaded DOJ prosecutions against Trump, has not publicly commented.
Sources close to Patel’s internal investigation say the FBI’s watchdog has now opened several disciplinary cases tied to the surveillance program. Patel reportedly discovered the “Arctic Frost” files earlier this month and immediately ordered an internal audit.
“This was a rogue operation,” one senior bureau official told reporters. “It was political spying, plain and simple. That’s why CR-15 is gone.”
Patel — a former Trump national security aide and House Intelligence Committee investigator — has vowed that under his leadership, the bureau will “never again be used as a political weapon.”
“We are restoring an FBI that serves the Constitution, not political masters,” Patel said Tuesday. “Every American — Republican, Democrat, or Independent — deserves equal protection under the law.”
Congressional Republicans are now preparing to subpoena remaining CR-15 officials and demand full disclosure of how GOP lawmakers’ data was obtained.
“This is worse than Watergate,” Sen. Josh Hawley said. “Spying on members of Congress to pursue a political agenda — that’s a constitutional crisis.”
Patel made clear that the internal cleanup is far from over.
“The housecleaning has just begun,” he said. “The American people will see everything.”