FBI fires agents, dismantles corruption squad after probe unveils monitoring of GOP senators, Patel says
FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau was already taking action after it was revealed that Republican lawmakers' communications were monitored.
The FBI has already terminated employees and abolished the CR-15 squad just one day after it was revealed that several Republicans’ private communications and phone calls had been tracked.
FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday announced the actions the bureau had taken in response to the revelation of the "baseless monitoring" during the Biden administration and promised more actions to come.
"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," Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Patel also posted about it on X, saying, "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."
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino replied to the post and echoed Patel’s message, writing, "We promised you transparency and accountability. We will continue to deliver on those promises. You deserve better."
The CR-15 squad was the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s public corruption unit. The squad helped former Special Counsel Jack Smith investigate President Donald Trump, according to NBC News, which cited sources familiar with the matter.
FBI’S TRUMP PROBE ‘ARCTIC FROST’ ALSO INVESTIGATED CHARLIE KIRK’S TPUSA, GRASSLEY REVEALS
On Monday, Fox News Digital learned that Smith allegedly tracked the private communications and phone calls of nearly a dozen Republican senators as part of his investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots.
Trump reacted to the revelation on Tuesday and slammed Smith in a post on Truth Social that read, "Deranged Jack Smith got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. A real sleazebag!!!"
A document, reviewed by Fox News Digital on Monday, revealed that Smith and his "Arctic Frost" team investigating Jan. 6 were allegedly tracking the phone calls of GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and GOP Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.
The document, recently discovered by Patel and exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, is titled "CAST Assistance" and dated Sept. 27, 2023. "CAST" refers to the FBI’s cellular analysis survey team. The case ID is marked in the document as "ARCTIC FROST—Election Law Matters—SENSITIVE INVESTIGATIVE MATTER—CAST."
Additionally, it states the names of the lawmakers and that an FBI special agent on Smith’s team "conducted preliminary toll analysis" on the toll records associated with the lawmakers.
An FBI official told Fox News Digital that Smith and his team tracking the senators were able to see which phone numbers they called, the location the phone call originated and the location where it was received.
A source said the calls were likely in reference to the vote to certify the 2020 election.
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