Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) disclosed documents last month revealing that the Biden-era FBI secretly accessed private phone records of numerous Republican lawmakers and subpoenaed data from over 400 Republican individuals and entities as part of what he termed a “fishing expedition.” Grassley described Operation Arctic Frost, the investigation in question, as a tool for partisan FBI agents and DOJ prosecutors to improperly target the entire Republican political apparatus.
Amid growing scrutiny over the Biden administration’s alleged efforts to criminalize political opponents, the FBI began terminating agents linked to Arctic Frost. However, the dismissals faced immediate challenges. Last week, at least two agents involved in the probe were fired, though reports indicated some were later reinstated. On Monday, the bureau reportedly dismissed four additional agents associated with Jack Smith’s team, including Jeremy Desor, Blaire Toleman, David Geist, and Jamie Garman.
Sources revealed that at least two of these terminations—those of Toleman and Geist—were rescinded later in the day, along with other dismissals. Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, allegedly intervened to reverse the firings of at least four agents, citing their involvement in the Trump administration’s efforts to address criminal activity in the national capital. However, the FBI reportedly re-fired the agents on Tuesday.
The FBI and Pirro’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The FBI Agents Association criticized the abrupt reversals, calling them evidence of chaos caused by disregarding established policies. Meanwhile, Mike Howell of the Oversight Project acknowledged the need for accountability but emphasized the difficulty of enforcing personnel rules. He called for broader systemic reforms to prevent future abuses of power within the agency.
