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Fact Check: BREAKING: Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi with evidence showing the Biden White House helped launch Jack Smith’s January 6 probe into Trump. @GeneralMCNews

Fact Check: BREAKING: Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi with evidence showing the Biden White House helped launch Jack Smith’s January 6 probe into Trump. @GeneralMCNews

Published April 10, 2025
ByFactChecker 1.1 avatarFactChecker 1.1
✗
VERDICT
Mostly False

# Claim Analysis: "BREAKING: Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi with evid...

Claim Analysis: "BREAKING: Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi with evidence showing the Biden White House helped launch Jack Smith’s January 6 probe into Trump."

1. Introduction

The claim suggests that Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley have sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, presenting evidence that the Biden White House played a role in initiating the investigation led by Jack Smith regarding the January 6 events involving former President Donald Trump. This assertion raises significant questions about the nature of the evidence provided and the implications of such a claim.

2. What We Know

The claim is rooted in recent communications from Senators Grassley and Johnson, who have been vocal critics of the FBI and the Biden administration. They have released records related to an investigation they refer to as "Arctic Frost," which they allege is linked to the broader inquiry into Trump’s actions surrounding January 6, 2021.

  1. Letter Content: The Senators have publicly requested records from the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding communications between the FBI and the Biden White House, specifically concerning the Arctic Frost investigation 126.

  2. Whistleblower Disclosures: They claim to have whistleblower disclosures that indicate the FBI was involved in acquiring cell phones and conducting interviews related to Trump and Pence as part of this investigation 27.

  3. Biden White House Involvement: Reports indicate that the Biden White House did turn over government cell phones belonging to Trump and Pence to the FBI, which is a factual basis for the claim of involvement 910. However, the extent and nature of this involvement in launching the investigation remain unclear.

3. Analysis

The evidence presented by Senators Grassley and Johnson comes from their own press releases and public statements, which may reflect a partisan perspective. Here are critical points regarding the reliability and context of the sources:

  • Source Credibility: The primary sources of the claim are official communications from Senators Grassley and Johnson, both of whom are Republicans with a history of opposing the Biden administration. Their statements may carry an inherent bias, as they have a political agenda that aligns with discrediting the current administration and its investigations into Trump 148.

  • Methodology: The Senators have not provided detailed evidence in their letters that directly connects the Biden White House to the initiation of the Jack Smith investigation. While they reference communications and disclosures, the lack of publicly available, independent verification of these claims raises questions about their validity.

  • Conflicts of Interest: Given that both Senators are actively involved in political opposition to Biden, their motivations for releasing this information could be questioned. They may be leveraging these claims to influence public perception ahead of upcoming elections 46.

  • Supporting and Contradicting Evidence: While there is confirmation that the Biden White House provided cell phones to the FBI, the interpretation that this action constitutes an effort to launch an investigation is not substantiated by the evidence available. The context of the FBI's actions and the nature of the investigation are critical to understanding the implications of this claim.

4. Conclusion

Verdict: Mostly False

The claim that Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley have evidence showing the Biden White House helped launch Jack Smith’s January 6 probe into Trump is categorized as "Mostly False." While it is true that the Biden White House provided cell phones belonging to Trump and Pence to the FBI, the assertion that this constitutes evidence of the White House's involvement in initiating the investigation lacks substantiation. The Senators' communications do not provide clear, independent evidence linking the Biden administration to the launch of the investigation, and their partisan positions raise questions about the objectivity of their claims.

It is important to note that the available evidence is limited and primarily comes from the Senators' own statements, which may reflect a specific political agenda. This lack of independent verification and the potential for bias necessitate a cautious interpretation of the claims made. Readers are encouraged to critically evaluate information and consider the context and motivations behind such statements, especially in politically charged environments.

5. Sources

  1. Grassley, Johnson Release Additional Arctic Frost Records Detailing ... Grassley Senate
  2. Grassley, Johnson Release Records Showing FBI Obtained Trump, Pence ... Grassley Senate
  3. Grassley, Johnson Release Records Showing FBI ... Judiciary Senate
  4. Sens. Johnson, Grassley Call for Investigation into Potential Criminal ... Ron Johnson Senate
  5. Grassley, Johnson Release Additional Arc... | United States Senate ... Judiciary Senate
  6. Grassley, Johnson Make Public Whistleblower Records Revealing DOJ and ... Grassley Senate
  7. Sens. Johnson, Grassley Release Records Showing FBI Obtained Trump ... Ron Johnson Senate
  8. Chuck Grassley, Ron Johnson call on Pam Bondi and Kash Patel to probe ... Washington Times
  9. Biden White House turned over Trump, Pence government ... Yahoo News
  10. Biden White House gave Trump, Pence cellphones to FBI ... AOL

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Fact Check: Transcript 00:00 For all of their strutting about protesting that they support democracy. Not a one of them gave a damn about democracy when they pulled Biden off the ballot and dropped Kamala Harris in without a single Democrat primary voter voting for him. And you know what? Not a single Democrat is here today because not a single one of them gives a damn about the fact that they lied to the American people for four years. They knew Every one of them knew that Joe Biden was 00:34 mentally not competent to do the job. The White House Press Secretary. She knew when she stood in front of the American people and lied over and over and over again and they're not here because they can't defend themselves. It wasn't a surprise for four years the White House hid President Biden from Republican Senators. Would not let him meet with us. He served 40 years in this body. We all know him. And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. Uh so in that opinion in 2005 from OLC they said essentially that an autopin could be used by a subordinate but the president's determination as to sign the document can never be delegated. Can that authority 02:41 be transferred to a staff or a machine without the president's explicit authorization? Never. And if you look at the statistics, the statistics are stunning. In 2021, President Biden issued 78 executive orders. None were signed with an auto pen. That first year the presidency, Biden I suppose was relatively lucid and 78 executive orders he signed by hand. The second year, however, we see the auto pen emerged. 03:15 The first auto pen executive order was issued on 15th 2022. After that day 100% of the executive orders issued in 2022 were signed by an autopen. In 2023 Biden issued twenty-four executive orders. 16 were auto penned. In 20twenty-four Biden issued 19. 14 were auto penned. In twenty twenty-5 Biden issued fourteen executive orders every single one was auto pins. 03:52 Mister Wald let me ask you as a legal matter if there's a law that's passed both houses of Congress and it goes to the White House and a staffer autopins signing that law without the president's authorization is that law legally passed and signed in the law? No. If an executive order is issued and a staffer autopins it without the president's authorization, is that executive order legally binding? No. And if a pardon issued from the President of 04:22 the United States and a staffer auto pens it without the president's authorization. Is that pardon legally binding? No. Under the Biden White House the ceremonial song hailed to the chief was effectively replaced with hail to the pen and it was an outright assault on democracy and every reporter covering this ought to ask why doesn't a Democrat care? We heard about the moral responsibilities of a staffer. 04:54 How about an elected senator who knows damn well that if we get into a war and Iran is preparing to fire a nuclear weapon at the United States that the commander in chief is busy playing with his jello and he's not competent to defend ourselves and every member of the cabinet, the chief of staff, the press secretary, and the members of Congress who lied about this on a daily basis with the press's complicity. They are all responsible for subverting democracy. Angry Ted Cruz is perhaps my favorite version of 05:27 Ted Cruz because when he's getting history on it, you might want to take a listen. He is definitely angry that there's some acting going on here in the line of hail to the chief change from hail to the pen that's not a smart line but it's still the truth. The truth is in this video right here ladies and gentlemen. The change in the way Joe Biden used the autopin is a steady upward moving graph from twenty twenty-one to the end of his presidency in early twenty 05:58 twenty-five. Okay? That is a noticeable issue. And if he does not directly authorize the autopin we've got We've got grounds to go through every single law Joe Biden has signed that way and perhaps ignore them all together. There's way more evidence behind the autopin theory and hopefully it ends up sticking. I I hope it does because I think this is in a way worse than the Bill Clinton perjury case. Cuz Bill 06:28 Clinton basically lied before Congress lied directly to the American people lied under oath. This is worse in a way. Because lying under oath means that you know where the truth is and you're just hoping to get away with it and there's a direct law. This however Signing with the auto pin is more opaque. It is an ultimate he said she said and you're dont rate the opinion oo just fact if there is

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Transcript 00:00 For all of their strutting about protesting that they support democracy. Not a one of them gave a damn about democracy when they pulled Biden off the ballot and dropped Kamala Harris in without a single Democrat primary voter voting for him. And you know what? Not a single Democrat is here today because not a single one of them gives a damn about the fact that they lied to the American people for four years. They knew Every one of them knew that Joe Biden was 00:34 mentally not competent to do the job. The White House Press Secretary. She knew when she stood in front of the American people and lied over and over and over again and they're not here because they can't defend themselves. It wasn't a surprise for four years the White House hid President Biden from Republican Senators. Would not let him meet with us. He served 40 years in this body. We all know him. And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. Uh so in that opinion in 2005 from OLC they said essentially that an autopin could be used by a subordinate but the president's determination as to sign the document can never be delegated. Can that authority 02:41 be transferred to a staff or a machine without the president's explicit authorization? Never. And if you look at the statistics, the statistics are stunning. In 2021, President Biden issued 78 executive orders. None were signed with an auto pen. That first year the presidency, Biden I suppose was relatively lucid and 78 executive orders he signed by hand. The second year, however, we see the auto pen emerged. 03:15 The first auto pen executive order was issued on 15th 2022. After that day 100% of the executive orders issued in 2022 were signed by an autopen. In 2023 Biden issued twenty-four executive orders. 16 were auto penned. In 20twenty-four Biden issued 19. 14 were auto penned. In twenty twenty-5 Biden issued fourteen executive orders every single one was auto pins. 03:52 Mister Wald let me ask you as a legal matter if there's a law that's passed both houses of Congress and it goes to the White House and a staffer autopins signing that law without the president's authorization is that law legally passed and signed in the law? No. If an executive order is issued and a staffer autopins it without the president's authorization, is that executive order legally binding? No. And if a pardon issued from the President of 04:22 the United States and a staffer auto pens it without the president's authorization. Is that pardon legally binding? No. Under the Biden White House the ceremonial song hailed to the chief was effectively replaced with hail to the pen and it was an outright assault on democracy and every reporter covering this ought to ask why doesn't a Democrat care? We heard about the moral responsibilities of a staffer. 04:54 How about an elected senator who knows damn well that if we get into a war and Iran is preparing to fire a nuclear weapon at the United States that the commander in chief is busy playing with his jello and he's not competent to defend ourselves and every member of the cabinet, the chief of staff, the press secretary, and the members of Congress who lied about this on a daily basis with the press's complicity. They are all responsible for subverting democracy. Angry Ted Cruz is perhaps my favorite version of 05:27 Ted Cruz because when he's getting history on it, you might want to take a listen. He is definitely angry that there's some acting going on here in the line of hail to the chief change from hail to the pen that's not a smart line but it's still the truth. The truth is in this video right here ladies and gentlemen. The change in the way Joe Biden used the autopin is a steady upward moving graph from twenty twenty-one to the end of his presidency in early twenty 05:58 twenty-five. Okay? That is a noticeable issue. And if he does not directly authorize the autopin we've got We've got grounds to go through every single law Joe Biden has signed that way and perhaps ignore them all together. There's way more evidence behind the autopin theory and hopefully it ends up sticking. I I hope it does because I think this is in a way worse than the Bill Clinton perjury case. Cuz Bill 06:28 Clinton basically lied before Congress lied directly to the American people lied under oath. This is worse in a way. Because lying under oath means that you know where the truth is and you're just hoping to get away with it and there's a direct law. This however Signing with the auto pin is more opaque. It is an ultimate he said she said and you're dont rate the opinion oo just fact if there is

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