Senator Hagerty demands answers from Verizon on FBI phone data sharing
Republican Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee is pressing Verizon for details after the company allegedly provided his private cellphone data to the FBI without notice. The data was part of former Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation into the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach. Hagerty's demands come amid revelations of surveillance on multiple GOP lawmakers.
Senator Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., sent a letter to Verizon demanding explanations for why the company turned over his private cellphone data to the FBI without his knowledge or consent. This disclosure relates to the 'Arctic Frost' investigation led by former Special Counsel Jack Smith into the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach. The probe, opened on April 13, 2022, with Smith appointed in November 2022, allegedly monitored phone communications of Hagerty and several other Republican lawmakers.
Fox News Digital obtained an FBI document revealing that an agent on Smith's team conducted preliminary toll analysis on records associated with Hagerty, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Representative Mike Kelly (R-Pa.). The analysis allowed viewing called numbers, call origins, and receipt locations.
In his letter, Hagerty wrote: "This week, I received shocking news: without my consent and without my knowledge, the Federal Bureau of Investigation obtained confidential information concerning my cell phone use. Despite extensive public reporting of this extraordinary intrusion into my privacy — also amounting to an unprecedented intrusion on the separation of powers — I have received no communication or outreach from Verizon Communications Inc., which could have been the only source of this information."
Hagerty requested details on the disclosure timing, reasons for no notification, the nature of any subpoena or demand, provided information, opposition efforts, and all related government communications. He demanded a response by the end of the day Friday.
Verizon spokesman Rich Young responded: "Federal law requires companies like Verizon to respond to grand jury subpoenas. We received a valid subpoena and a court order to keep it confidential. We weren't told why the information was requested or what the investigation was about. As required, we provided the requested customer information and call records."
An FBI official described 'Arctic Frost' as a 'prohibited case' under review for transparency. In response to the 'baseless monitoring,' FBI Director Kash Patel announced terminations and the disbanding of the CR-15 squad. Patel stated: "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 those who do not meet the standards of this mission while restoring integrity to the FBI. I promised reform, and I intend to deliver it." He added on X: "Transparency is important, and accountability is critical. We promised both, and this is what promises kept looks like… We terminated employees, we abolished the weaponized CR-15 squad, and we initiated an ongoing investigation with more accountability measures ahead."