If a case the Supreme Court is looking at goes Republicans' way, it could lead to 19 more solid GOP seats in the House, almost guaranteeing a Republican majority for the foreseeable future.
The high court plans to rehear Louisiana v. Callais, a case that challenges section 2, the provision that prevents racial gerrymandering if the result would dilute minority votes in that district.
In other words, it's currently illegal to redistrict a majority Black or Hispanic district so that it stops being a majority district for that race. It's a form of affirmative action for voting, so that's why liberals are worried the court will rule to strike it down.
Most majority Black or Hispanic districts vote Democrat, so the provision benefits Democrats.
If it is struck down, experts estimate that Republicans will net 19 House seats, which could be enough to keep them in the majority in 2026 and beyond.
The court probably won't rule on the case before primaries for the midterms in 2026, so changes will have to wait until after that.
But there's a chance the ruling could come that soon, and Republicans will be ready to jump on it if it does.
Other redistricting could give Republicans about eight more seats, but the party in power generally loses seats in the off-year, so we will have to see what happens.
Democrats are already talking about a "one-party system" if their fears come to fruition, but whose fault do they think that is?
Maybe if the party hadn't lurched so far to the left in the last few elections, they'd still be relevant and wouldn't be bleeding minority voters who don't want to see their taxes skyrocket and their world turn woke while inflation makes their dollars worth less every year.
If Democrats spent as much time listening to the concerns of their voting bloc and figuring out what the majority of their members really want as they do trumpeting soft socialism and transgender surgeries for minors, they might not be in this mess in the first place.
For Republicans' part, if they can avoid shooting themselves in the foot long enough, they might just be able to regain some of the strength they had in the 1980s, like in 1984 when Ronald Reagan won 49 states.
Trump has managed to turn much of the economy around in just a few months, and if he can keep control of Congress, he could do even more during the rest of his term.
Let minorities get elected due to their platform and positions, not their skin color.
Well, folks, if you thought California politics couldn’t get any spicier, think again—gubernatorial hopeful Katie Porter just tried to storm out of a CBS interview when pressed on courting Trump voters, the New York Post reported.
During a sit-down recorded last month and aired on Monday, Porter, a Democratic contender for California’s top job, found herself in hot water over a simple question about winning over the 40% of state voters who backed President Trump, leading to a viral meltdown that’s got everyone talking.
Porter, who launched her campaign for governor in March, has been a familiar face in Democratic circles, serving in the House of Representatives from 2019 until earlier this year.
Before this latest dust-up, she was leading the gubernatorial race by a comfortable 7 points, according to RealClearPolitics polling averages.
But her past isn’t all smooth sailing—Porter faced a tough loss in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate last year to Sen. Adam Schiff, after which she controversially claimed the process was “rigged” due to heavy opponent spending, though she later walked back the rhetoric.
Add to that prior accusations of staff bullying and troubling allegations from her ex-husband, Matthew Hoffman, during their divorce—claims of verbal abuse and even an incident involving hot mashed potatoes—and you’ve got a candidate with some serious baggage.
Now, let’s get to the meat of this CBS interview, where reporter Julie Watts asked a straightforward question about how Porter planned to appeal to Trump-supporting Californians.
Porter initially responded by saying she’d seek every vote possible and build broad support, but when Watts pressed further, the conversation took a sharp turn south.
Visibly frustrated, Porter called the exchange “unnecessarily argumentative,” attempted to remove her microphone, and insisted she didn’t want the whole fiasco on camera, even stating, “I don’t want to keep doing this. I’m going to call it,” as captured in the aired footage (CBS).
Porter’s campaign later claimed the interview continued for another 20 minutes after the tense moment, but the damage was done as the clip spread like wildfire across social media.
Critics were quick to pounce, pointing out the irony of a former congresswoman known for her own tough, viral questioning in hearings now dodging a basic inquiry about voter outreach.
State superintendent Tony Thurmond didn’t hold back, saying, “If she can’t answer basic questions from a reporter, how can Californians expect her to stand up to President Trump?”—a jab that cuts deep for a candidate banking on grit (CBS).
Porter’s Democratic primary opponents piled on, with former state Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa questioning her leadership chops and ability to tackle hard issues with simple transparency.
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra took a broader swipe, emphasizing the need to include all voters in the race for governor, a not-so-subtle reminder that alienating any group—Trump supporters or otherwise—won’t win California’s diverse electorate.
With Gov. Gavin Newsom term-limited and former Vice President Kamala Harris sitting this race out, the field is wide open, but Porter’s latest stumble might just give her rivals the ammunition they need to close the gap.
The Senate confirmed over 100 of President Trump's nominees at once, making it the largest single group to advance yet.
Republicans in the Senate have been making up for lost time after Democrats spent several months blocking routine nominations, resulting in a large backlog, the Washington Times reports.
Breaking with Senate norms, Democrats under Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-Ny.) had refused to even consider confirming any Trump nominees by voice vote or unanimous consent, which have traditionally been used to quickly fill lower-level positions.
After months of unprecedented Democrat obstruction, Republicans changed the Senate rules to allow bloc votes on sub-Cabinet executive branch nominees.
Republicans cleared an initial group of 48 nominees in September, including the former fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, who was confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Greece.
The new group of hires includes former NFL star Herschel Walker, who ran for the Senate as a Republican back in 2022. Walker was confirmed to be Trump's ambassador to the Bahamas, which has not had a U.S. ambassador in 15 years.
The new hires also include 16 U.S. attorneys, over two dozen ambassadors, and employees of various other executive departments, the Washington Times reported.
The 51-47 vote comes as the parties continue to point fingers over the ongoing government shutdown, which has left thousands of federal workers missing paychecks.
There is no end in sight to the impasse as Schumer and his fellow Democrats continue to make health care demands, while Republicans insist on a "clean" resolution to end the shutdown without policy attachments.
Republicans need at least eight Democrats to overcome the 60-vote filibuster, but only three have crossed the aisle, so far.
For now, Republicans are touting the end of the Democrats' "blockade" on nominees as a step forward.
“Before Senate Democrats shut down the federal government, they shut down the Senate floor – freezing the confirmation process. For months, their blockade created a growing backlog of qualified, bipartisan nominees. Tonight, Senate Republicans confirmed 107 of those qualified nominees and ended the Democrats’ confirmation blockade,” said Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (Wy.).
“President Trump now has much of his team in place and ready to get to work for the American people,” he added.
The backlog is now down to 26 nominees after Tuesday's vote, Axios reported, including 16 executive branch nominees and 10 court picks. Despite the rules change, judicial nominees still require individual votes.
A disturbed man was caught with more than 200 explosives before the start of an annual Mass that is normally attended by the Supreme Court.
As reported by the Washington Post, 41-year-old Louis Geri, of Vineland, New Jersey, had an arsenal of homemade bombs inside of a tent that he set up on the steps of St. Matthew's Cathedral, where the Red Mass was held on Sunday.
Throughout a tense confrontation with police, Geri threatened to set off the explosives and handed over a notebook filled with hateful ramblings.
As police approached and told him to leave, he responded, "You might want to stay back and call the federales, I have explosives."
The bomb squad was called in, and a police sergeant tried to defuse the situation by agreeing to read from Geri's notebook. But the situation escalated sharply after the sergeant noticed a butane lighter and tried to open Geri's tent.
The man flew into a rage and began pulling out vials of yellow liquid with explosives taped to them, as he warned to "step away or there’s going to be deaths, I’m telling you now.”
The police backed up and formed a perimeter. The sergeant and another officer finally arrested Geri after he left his tent to urinate on a tree. He told police that he had a bomb in the front pocket of his fleece, and a bomb squad technician found the device along with a butane lighter.
The FBI found that some of the vials contained nitromethane, which is an explosive compound often used in improvised explosive devices, including the ones deployed in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people. Other devices were modified bottle rockets with aluminum foil heads and treated in a pyrotechnic solution, but all of them were "fully functional.”
The man was apparently known to police and had been banned from the premises before Sunday's incident, according to the Catholic Standard, which is the newspaper of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. The police found him during a security sweep before Mass.
Because of his threats, no Supreme Court members attended the Red Mass, where God's blessing is invoked to guide judges and others in the legal profession. The Red Mass falls on the Sunday before the first Monday in October to mark the start of the Supreme Court's term.
According to the Washington Post, Geri's notebook included hateful writings toward Catholics, Jews, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Supreme Court. Six out of the court's nine members are Catholic.
Last week, a man was sentenced to eight years in prison for trying to kill Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who is Catholic.
Geri is facing charges of manufacture or possession of a weapon of mass destruction in furtherance of a hate crime. He was also charged with possession of a destructive device and false report of a weapon of mass destruction in relation to a previous incident at the church that led to him being barred from the premises.
A judge ordered him held without bond.
House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) is winning praise from the left as she strays from her party's shutdown talking points.
The Georgia congressman is demanding the renewal of the Obamacare tax credits at the center of the government shutdown, warning that premiums will double unless Congress acts.
“I’m absolutely disgusted that health insurance premiums will DOUBLE if the tax credits expire this year,” Greene wrote on X.
With her take on the subsidies, Greene is at odds with Republican leaders who have insisted on passing a "clean" continuing resolution to open the government without any policy attachments.
Democrats have refused to support a funding bill without guarantees that Congress will extend the enhanced tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of the year.
Greene said she is "not a fan" of the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare, and she acknowledged the health care law made insurance unaffordable for her family. But she defended the tax credits that many people, including her own children, rely on to afford the steep premiums on the Obamacare health exchanges.
“I’m going to go against everyone on this issue because when the tax credits expire this year, my own adult children’s insurance premiums for 2026 are going to DOUBLE, along with all the wonderful families and hard-working people in my district,” the Georgia Republican continued.
Democrats including Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-Ny.), the party's leader in the shutdown fight, have highlighted the support from Greene to attack her party as out of touch on healthcare.
“So hold on to your hats,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “I think this is the first time I said this, but, on this issue, Representative Greene said it perfectly.”
Greene is regarded with contempt by most liberals, making her alignment with Democrats on Obamacare surprising to many.
But this is not the first time that the Trump-supporting Greene has bucked the president and his party, with Greene also supporting a discharge petition to force a vote on the so-called Epstein files as Trump seeks to move on from the controversy. Greene has also criticized Trump at times for moves on foreign policy that she says betray the "America First" creed.
Republicans, including Trump, have said they are willing to negotiate healthcare, but not while the government is shut down.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has dismissed Greene's criticism of the party's healthcare plans as uninformed.
“Congresswoman Greene does not serve on the committees of jurisdiction to deal with those specialized issues, and she’s probably not read that in on some of that, because it’s still been sort of in their silos of the people who specialize in those issues,” Johnson said Tuesday.
Matt Van Epps, whom President Donald Trump endorsed late last week, has won the GOP primary for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District race, Fox News reported. The former Tennessee Department of General Services commissioner was one of 11 Republicans vying for the chance to run for the seat left vacant after Republican Rep. Mark Green took a job in the private sector.
The large district in Tennessee is a Republican stronghold, which bodes well for Van Epps as the GOP candidate, especially given Trump's endorsement. He will go on to face off against his opponent, Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn, in a special election on Dec. 2.
The House of Representatives is currently balanced in favor of Republicans, although not by a significant margin. Including the Tennessee seat, there are two vacancies and a third where the Democratic representative-elect hasn't been sworn in yet, making it a 219-213 majority for Republicans.
🚨 BREAKING: Trump-endorsed Matt Van Epps WINS Republican US House primary for Tennessee's vacant 7th District. pic.twitter.com/0KRzHQXSNL
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 8, 2025
Trump released a statement endorsing Van Epps in the days leading up to the primary, which also included state Reps. Gino Bulso, Lee Reeves, and Jody Barrett. "Matt knows the WISDOM and COURAGE required to Defend our Country, Support our Incredible Military/Veterans, and Ensure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH," Trump wrote.
Van Epps called the president's support "an incredible honor" as he also got the nod of approval from Tennessee GOP Gov. Bill Lee. Beyond just the words of praise, Trump and the Club for Growth conservative group co-hosted a tele-rally with the candidate on Monday night, just ahead of Election Day.
It seems that Van Epps, who is a veteran and a Trump loyalist, found that his most significant advantage was that he was able to get the president on board. According to the Associated Press, Van Epps acknowledged this fact in his victory speech, stating that Trump's backing in the crowded race "made the difference, and I will never forget it."
Van Epps will return the favor by supporting Trump's agenda, including advocating for veterans and supporting the president's crackdown on illegal immigration. "In Congress, I’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with President Trump to advance our America First agenda,” Van Epps promised.
After the election results were in and Van Epps secured the opportunity to represent 14 counties in Tennessee that include a military base, rural areas, and parts of Nashville, Trump congratulated Van Epps in another post on Truth Social. "Congratulations to Matt Van Epps on his great victory in Tennessee. He will be a GREAT Congressman!!!" the president wrote.
With such a deep-red district, Van Epps should be able to clinch the congressional seat in the special election. Still, the Democrats have mounted an opposition against Van Epps that included an alternative to Trump's policies and pitched Behn's win as a referendum on outside money influencing local elections.
After all, donors from outside Tennessee spent $3.1 million, mainly on the Republican side of the race, though both parties tend to funnel campaign funds where they're most needed, including local races. Behn said that her win for Democrats was a signal that "authenticity, energy, organizing power consistently outperformed corporate money and poll-tested messaging."
The Nashville-based community organizer and social worker also emphasized the female angle, as identity politics is the default for many Democratic candidates. "Tonight, Tennessee sent a message," Behn said to her supporters.
"And that message is: Women still fight. Organizers can still win. And Democrats in the Deep South aren’t done yet," Behn said. Nevertheless, she will need to overcome the fact that Green won the seat by more than 20 points in the last two elections, which has demonstrated significant advantages to any GOP candidate.
Democrats have virtually no shot at taking this seat from Republicans as it is, and that's especially true for now that the Trump-backed pick has become the GOP candidate. Van Epps will likely take his place in Congress, and Trump will notch another victory that proves once again that he has political clout like no other.
Portland has dropped the disorderly conduct charges against independent journalist Nick Sortor, who was arrested on October 2 while covering attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities and agents, Breitbart reported. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office has now promised to go after the two men who were reportedly pummeling Sortor when police arrested all three of them.
On Monday, District Attorney Nathan Vasquez announced that he'd dropped the charges against the independent journalist and frequent Fox News guest. "After a careful review of the investigation, including reports and video, we do not believe the crime of Disorderly Conduct can be proven against Mr. Sortor beyond a reasonable doubt," Vasquez claimed.
Portland has a history of tacitly supporting civil unrest, and last week's arrest was a rarity that somehow included charging the alleged victim. Vasquez attempted to take the 'all-sides' approach in his remarks about the situation in a news release.
"Free speech does not include the freedom to commit crimes. It does not matter if an individual is expressing ideology from the left, right, or center. What matters is whether or not there is evidence to prove a crime was committed," Vasquez claimed.
For his part, Sortor was grateful that Vasquez was doing the right thing after the fact, but he promised this wouldn't be the end of it. "Trust me. This is ONLY the beginning," Sortor wrote in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on October 6.
Indeed, it appears that Sortor will be taking legal action against the Portland Police Department. In a post to X on Monday, Sortor's attorney, Angus Lee, drafted a letter to Portland Police Bureau Chief Bob Day claiming that his client was singled out by "a member of the command staff and/or a supervising officer" for arrest rather than just an officer on the scene who made an error.
The Vancouver, Washington, attorney said this was instead "part of a larger pattern and practice within the Portland Police Bureau of suppressing and silencing conservative media and political activity." Lee made demands to be met within seven days of the letter, including a "formal apology to sortor" and "the initiation of an internal investigation into the circumstances of this arrest, including the involvement of supervisory or command staff personnel,” Lee stated in his letter.
“Mr. Sortor hopes the Bureau will take immediate corrective action and demonstrate a renewed commitment to constitutional policing, the protection of free expression, and accountability within your department," he added. The final line promised they would "proceed accordingly" if these demands were not met.
Hey @PortlandPolice Chief Day:
Check your inbox!
We’re FAR from done here 😏 pic.twitter.com/0vhvjXd1Ab
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 6, 2025
Like many other conservative journalists, Sortor was attempting to call attention to the situation in Portland, whereby the city is often under siege from protesters as law enforcement does little to stop it. The leftist extremists who run the city have no interest in restoring law and order, as evidenced by recent legal action seeking to keep the National Guard from restoring peace.
As Fox News reported, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from deploying troops to assist federal agents from the U.S. Border Patrol and Department of Homeland Security in quelling the riots and attacks against them. Even after the injunction was issued on Sunday, agents made arrests and used tear gas to stop what the president called "violent riots" sparked off by ICE raids.
The Pentagon maintains that "while federalized Oregon National Guard members remain under T10 status, there are no Oregon National Guard members on mission in or around the Portland area." Nevertheless, the federal government is not about to cede the city to these insurrectionists.
"The facts haven’t changed: President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement. We expect to be vindicated by a higher court," said spokeswoman Abigail Jackson in a statement.
The situation in Portland is out of control, but leftists seem intent on leaving it that way as long as it's politically expedient. Trump has every right to use the power of the federal government to restore order, and conservative journalists like Sortor have an obligation to show the American people the truth of what's happening as Trump cheers on truth tellers like him.
The Texas National Guard deployed 200 troops to Illinois to protect federal property and personnel from anti-immigration protesters, with troops arriving in the state on Tuesday, according to the Pentagon.
The mobilization will be for an initial 60-day period, with any further deployment to be decided later.
The troops are there "in support of the Federal Protection Mission to protect federal functions, personnel, and property," the Pentagon statement read.
Some of the troops arrested about a dozen protesters near an ICE facility in Broadview, where they have gathered for several days.
News footage on Tuesday afternoon also showed several troops outside the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, just south of Joliet.
Troops are "on the ground and ready to go," Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) said on X. "They are putting America first by ensuring that the federal government can safely enforce federal law."
Officials in the state continue to be opposed to the deployment of any National Guard troops in the state, even after a DHS vehicle was hemmed in by about 10 cars and rammed by one or more of them on Saturday.
"The Trump administration must end the war on Chicago," the city's Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) said during a news conference Monday, calling the deployment "illegal, unconstitutional, dangerous and wrong." "The Trump administration must end this war against Americans. The Trump administration must end its attempt to dismantle our democracy."
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) filed a lawsuit to keep the Guard troops out of the state, but it hasn't yet been heard.
Johnson signed an executive order on Monday that created "ICE-free zones" in the city and said that ICE personnel cannot use city-owned property for its operations to enforce immigration laws.
How crazy is American politics when cities make laws that try to prevent others from making sure laws are followed?
That should not be happening, but it's the status quo in numerous sanctuary cities all over the nation.
As long as they can characterize Trump as a dictator and a "bully," these groups feel justified to protest and try to bully everyone else into not following the law along with them.
Meanwhile, people are getting hurt by the violence and illegal immigrants continue to commit crimes, take American jobs, and create a drain on services.
Brace yourselves—President Donald Trump is reportedly poised to slash annual refugee admissions by a jaw-dropping 94%, igniting a firestorm of debate over America’s role in global humanitarian efforts, Breitbart reported.
In a nutshell, Trump’s plan would cap refugee resettlement at just 7,500 per year, a stark contrast to the over 100,000 admitted during President Joe Biden’s final year in Fiscal Year 2024, with a notable emphasis on South Africans of Dutch and French heritage.
Let’s start at the beginning to frame this shift. Under Biden’s tenure, a wide-reaching program welcomed hundreds of thousands of migrants from places like Afghanistan, Latin America, and the Caribbean as refugees. Many conservatives saw this as overreach, while progressives cheered it as moral duty.
Enter Trump with a radically different vision. According to The New York Times, the annual refugee cap would shrink to a mere 7,500, a number that feels more like a whisper than a shout in the realm of resettlement.
This isn’t just trimming fat—it’s a complete reimagining of the system. The cap isn’t a target to hit but a firm limit, signaling a rejection of the expansive policies that defined the previous administration.
Here’s the twist: the majority of these scarce slots are reportedly set aside for South Africans descended from Dutch and French settlers. Facing documented racial discrimination and violence at home, some of these individuals have already been welcomed to the U.S. this year under Trump’s direction.
Now, let’s dig into this South African priority. Critics from establishment media, Democrats, and refugee organizations are up in arms, calling the focus too narrow when global crises abound. But shouldn’t policy address specific, proven hardships rather than bowing to a broader, less defined agenda?
The naysayers aren’t holding back, decrying this as a step away from global leadership. Yet, when a group faces clear persecution, isn’t it reasonable to act decisively, even if it doesn’t check every box of progressive idealism? That’s a question worth chewing on.
Compare this to Biden’s approach—over 100,000 refugees in a single fiscal year. The gulf between that figure and Trump’s 7,500 cap lays bare a fundamental clash of values: one side prioritizes volume, the other control.
Refugee policy isn’t just numbers on a spreadsheet—it’s a reflection of national identity. Trump’s proposal, though restrictive, seems to aim for a sustainable framework by homing in on a particular crisis. That’s a perspective that merits discussion, even if it grates against more open-ended views.
Still, the pushback from refugee advocates and Democrats carries weight. They fear this drastic cut signals a retreat from America’s humanitarian obligations, a concern that can’t be brushed aside when displacement is a global epidemic. But isn’t there also merit in ensuring we don’t overpromise beyond our means?
The South Africans prioritized here—descendants of Dutch and French settlers—aren’t a random choice; they’re a group facing real violence and bias. Trump’s team has already started resettling some this year, showing this policy isn’t just talk but action.
Let’s not sugarcoat it—such a steep reduction will inevitably close doors for many in desperate need. Families from other regions might find their hopes dashed, a harsh outcome that deserves honest reflection.
Yet, in a world of finite resources, doesn’t it make sense to zero in on a verifiable crisis? Trump’s plan, while divisive, slices through the haze of universalist rhetoric with a focused, if limited, scope—it’s not about pleasing everyone, but about tackling something tangible.
Ultimately, this 94% cut isn’t just policy—it’s a gauntlet thrown down. It challenges the notion of unchecked borders pushed by some on the left and forces a reckoning on what refugee resettlement should mean. Agree or not, this debate is far from over, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Former Biden prosecutor Jack Smith secretly spied on sitting Republican lawmakers as part of the sweeping investigation into the January 6th Capitol protest, according to a newly uncovered FBI document.
The spying was part of the FBI's Arctic Frost investigation, which was launched in 2022 as a Biden-era crackdown on President Trump and his MAGA movement was in full swing. The FBI memo is dated September 27, 2023, and mentions Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), as well as Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) as targets for government surveillance.
News of the disturbing surveillance was shared with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Ia.), who has been probing the weaponization of government during the Biden regime.
One of the senators targeted, Sen. Graham, called the weaponization of government during the Biden years "worse than Watergate."
“Based on the evidence to-date, Arctic Frost and related weaponization by federal law enforcement under Biden was arguably worse than Watergate,” Grassley said in a statement.
“If heads don’t roll in this town, nothing changes,” Grassley told reporters.
The Arctic Frost investigation was opened in 2022 by an anti-Trump FBI agent, Timothy Thibault, before it was handed over to Smith later that year.
This document shows the Biden FBI spied on 8 of my Republican Senate colleagues during its Arctic Frost investigation into "election conspiracy" Arctic Frost later became Jack Smith's elector case against Trump
BIDEN FBI WEAPONIZATION = WORSE THAN WATERGATE pic.twitter.com/V2JyiVlX48
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) October 6, 2025
Smith obtained cell phone records from the nine Republican lawmakers from January 4 through January 7, 2021, a period that overlaps with the contentious certification of the 2020 election. The surveillance appears to be related to GOP lawmakers' involvement in challenging the 2020 presidential election, which Trump still maintains was fraudulent.
The cell phone records would have showed whom the Republican members called and when, as well as the location and duration of the calls, although the content of those calls would not have been included, Grassley noted.
The FBI memo is titled "CAST assistance," which refers to the bureau's cellular analysis team. The document is tagged, "ARCTIC FROST — Election Law Matters — SENSITIVE INVESTIGATIVE MATTER — CAST.”
The news of Smith's spying on Congress adds to the Biden-era government abuses that were carried out in the name of saving "our democracy" from Trump, who was hounded by Smith in two sprawling criminal investigations while Trump was campaigning for the White House.
The Arctic Frost probe focused on alternate slates of pro-Trump electors who were deemed "fake electors" by Smith and others. The so-called "fake electors plot" became the centerpiece of Smith's sweeping, failed case against Trump for "election interference."
Trump called Smith a "real sleazebag" after the prosecutor's role in spying on Congress was exposed.
“Deranged Jack Smith got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. A real sleazebag!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Smith's audacious surveillance of Congress adds to a long history of partisan overreach by the FBI, which infamously spied on Trump's 2016 campaign using Clinton-funded opposition research.
“We recently uncovered proof that phone records of U.S. lawmakers were seized for political purposes,” FBI director Kash Patel said in a statement. “That abuse of power ends now. Under my leadership, the FBI will deliver truth and accountability, and never again be weaponized against the American people.”