President Donald Trump accused the Biden administration on Tuesday of using the Justice Department to target conservative activist Charlie Kirk and his organization, Turning Point USA, saying the effort sought to put the movement “out of business.” The remarks followed publication by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of FBI records that show subpoenas to dozens of GOP-affiliated organizations as part of an election-related probe.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the Justice Department had been "weaponized" against "Sleepy Joe Biden’s Political Opponents, including ME!" and called Special Counsel Jack Smith, who formerly oversaw the probe, "deranged." The president’s statement came hours after Grassley released files indicating the FBI had sought records from groups including the Republican National Committee, the Republican Attorneys General Association and one of Charlie Kirk’s organizations.
Grassley said the FBI’s 2022 investigation, internally code-named "Arctic Frost," included inquiries into organizations tied to the 2020 post-election environment and related efforts, and that some of those lines of inquiry were later handled by Smith. The probe examined alleged false election claims, purported fake elector schemes, lawsuits and financial matters, and reviewed entities connected to events around Jan. 6, 2021, including groups that may have funded the "Stop the Steal" rally, the files show.
The Arctic Frost probe was later assigned to Smith, who brought two separate cases against Trump — one over classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago and another over efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Smith resigned from the special counsel role in January. Those prosecutions did not go to trial before Trump’s reelection in November 2024 and were subsequently dropped.
The newly released documents show that Turning Point USA was among organizations subpoenaed by the FBI, but they do not specify the exact basis for the inquiry into the conservative activist group. Turning Point USA was founded by Charlie Kirk in 2012 and became a prominent youth-oriented conservative organization. Kirk had been a prominent amplifier of claims that mail-in voting and other 2020 processes were subject to widespread fraud, a line investigators had examined as part of broader post-election probes.
The FBI records also reference a designation described in the files as "J6 $," which appears to reference organizations with possible financial links to the Jan. 6 rally that preceded the Capitol attack. The scope and findings of those specific financial inquiries were not detailed in Grassley’s release.
Turning Point USA and its network were thrust into the national spotlight after Kirk was shot and killed during a speaking event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. The suspected shooter, identified by the FBI as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arraigned in a Utah courtroom and is charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and a violent offense in the presence of a child. Prosecutors have filed notice of their intent to seek the death penalty, which under Utah law could be carried out by firing squad.
Federal authorities say Robinson had a documented obsession with Kirk and had communicated plans to "take out" the conservative influencer, according to court filings. Robinson appeared via video from his Utah jail in a green smock for a preliminary hearing and remains in custody. The FBI and local law enforcement officials have continued to investigate the circumstances surrounding the killing.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Turning Point USA said it had seen a surge of new chapter requests, reporting more than 37,000 in the days following the attack. Organization leaders credited an emotional public appeal by Kirk’s widow, Erika, during her first remarks after the shooting; before the attack, the group reported roughly 9,000 college chapters and 1,100 high school chapters.
Republican lawmakers and conservative leaders seized on Grassley’s document release to argue that investigations during the prior administration had been politicized. Trump’s post echoed those claims, attributing the subpoenas and investigations to what he called a broader effort by the Biden administration to silence or dismantle political opponents.
White House and Justice Department officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Trump’s accusations or on the specific subpoena records Grassley released. The Justice Department has previously said that investigative and prosecutorial decisions are made independently and that the FBI and prosecutors follow legal standards in opening and executing investigations.
In the wake of Kirk’s death, several political figures called for stronger action against groups they said promote political violence. Vice President J.D. Vance and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller announced plans for increased law enforcement emphasis on left-wing groups they alleged were promoting violence; their statements framed the response as a law-and-order initiative, while offering few operational details.
The release of the FBI subpoenas and Trump’s public denunciation add to ongoing partisan disputes over the role of federal law enforcement in politically charged investigations. Senate Judiciary Committee releases of investigative records have periodically intensified debate in recent years over whether investigations were conducted on an even-handed basis or were influenced by political considerations.
Grassley, who made the files public, has said his aim is to provide congressional oversight and transparency into the FBI’s actions. Legal experts and civil liberties advocates have noted that the existence of a subpoena does not itself prove wrongdoing or political bias, and they emphasize that subpoenas are a common tool used in lawful investigations to gather records and testimony.
The FBI’s Arctic Frost inquiry, the subsequent handling of related matters by a special counsel, the abrupt end of prosecutions after a presidential election, and now Senate disclosures and partisan reactions together illustrate how investigations surrounding the 2020 election and its aftermath continue to reverberate through U.S. politics. Lawmakers and the public may expect further hearings and document releases as the Senate Judiciary Committee continues oversight work and as the Justice Department responds to questions from Congress and the media.
