Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) appeared on ‘Sunday Morning Futures’ with Maria Bartiromo to deliver a scathing critique of the “Arctic Frost” investigation, labeling it “Joe Biden’s Watergate” and “an egregious abuse of process.” The Senator called for a full investigation into the weaponization of the government, including the impeachment of a federal judge, following the revelation that former Special Prosecutor Jack Smith’s probe sought phone records for multiple Republican members of Congress.
Senator Cruz asserted that the investigation, which was ostensibly launched to examine the events of January 6th, was appointed three days after Donald Trump announced his 2024 presidential campaign with “one mission: stop Donald Trump.”
Targeting Republicans with a “Dragnet”
Cruz detailed the broad scope of the investigation, stating that Smith “launched a drag net the scope of which has never been seen,” issuing at least 197 subpoenas directed at over 430 individuals and organizations.
All of the targets, he noted, were Republicans, including the Republican Attorney General’s Association, Citizens United, and Turning Point USA.
The subpoena operation also targeted U.S. Senators:
- Nine U.S. Senators—all Republicans—received subpoenas for their phone records.
- Cruz’s own cell phone records, including his voicemails, texts, and geolocation data, were sought.
Cell Provider Responses
Senator Cruz highlighted the different reactions of major cell phone providers to the subpoenas:
- AT&T’s Refusal: Cruz praised his provider, AT&T, for “doing the right thing.” Their legal counsel refused to comply with the subpoena, citing protection under the Speech and Debate Clause of Article I of the Constitution.
- Verizon’s Compliance: Unfortunately, Cruz noted that Verizon “did hand over the records of eight senators” who used their service. Verizon later justified its cooperation, telling Fox News Digital it was “faced only phone numbers not names.” The company has since informed Senator Chuck Grassley that, in hindsight, they are making policy changes to push back on future requests for congressional members’ records.
The Non-Disclosure Order and Call for Impeachment
A key point of contention for Cruz was that the subpoenas came with an order, signed by Federal Judge James Boasberg, that commanded the carriers not to notify the senators for at least a year.
Judge Boasberg justified the order by stating there were “reasonable grounds” to believe the senator would “destroy or tamper with evidence” on his phone if he found out he was being tracked. Senator Cruz called this finding “absolutely absurd.”
For his actions, Cruz called for the House of Representatives to impeach Judge Boasberg, accusing him of becoming a “partisan crusader” who “joined with Jack Smith in the mission to try to stop Donald Trump from being reelected.”
Cruz concluded by stressing that the level of surveillance and abuse of power “can never happen again,” and he believes Congress should act to change the law to prevent political parties from surveilling their opposition.
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