FBI Director Kash Patel has reportedly removed one of the senior agents who led the controversial “Operation Arctic Frost” investigation into President Donald Trump.
The move follows recent disclosures from Senate Republicans detailing the scope of the Biden-era probe, which targeted President Trump, his associates, and multiple conservative organizations.
According to reports from MSNBC, Patel has ousted Aaron Tapp, a Special Agent in Charge who led the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office and played a central role in the Arctic Frost operation.
New: Two people familiar with the matter tell @CarolLeonnig and me that FBI Director Kash Patel is forcing out the special agent in charge in San Antonio, whose name appeared in documents recently released by Senate Republicans detailing the “Arctic Frost” investigation into…
— Ken Dilanian (@DilanianMSNBC) October 30, 2025
Tapp has served with the FBI for more than two decades and described himself on his LinkedIn profile as a “Senior FBI Executive with more than twenty-seven years of combined experience leading people, conducting and supervising complex investigations.”
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He also wrote that he was “a natural collaborator focused on building and motivating cross-functional and integrated teams who consistently achieve excellence.”
“Driver of organizational and cultural change through innovation, transparency, communication and partnership,” Tapp’s profile stated.
“Currently leading the FBI San Antonio Field Office.”
The Arctic Frost investigation began in April 2022 under the Biden Justice Department and was launched in connection with the 2020 alternate electors dispute.
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The operation involved seizing government-issued cell phones belonging to both Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence and conducting numerous interviews across multiple states.
The probe reportedly examined hundreds of individuals and organizations linked to the 2020 election.
ARCTIC FROST LEADERS STILL AT FBI
The personnel actions thus far are only a solid start.The below were promoted to lead offices:Aaron Tapp (@FBISanAntonio) James Barnacle (@FBICharlotte) Joe Rothrock (@FBIDallas) Devin Kowalski (@FBISanJuan) Wayne Jacobs (@FBIPhiladelphia) pic.twitter.com/zDhXxm2984— Oversight Project (@ItsYourGov) October 29, 2025
Senate Republicans have accused the Justice Department of using Arctic Frost to target political opponents. Newly released documents referenced by Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley indicate that the investigation went far beyond individual cases.
Grassley revealed that former Special Counsel Jack Smith, who oversaw portions of the operation, issued an extensive number of subpoenas during the investigation.
“I’ve obtained through legally protected whistleblower disclosures,” Grassley said Wednesday, “197 subpoenas were issued by Jack Smith and his team. These subpoenas were issued to 34 individuals and 163 businesses, including financial institutions.”
Grassley said the investigation had “targeted the entire Republican apparatus,” including conservative groups such as Turning Point USA and the Republican Attorneys General Association.
Grassley’s office also confirmed that the Senate Judiciary Committee has received whistleblower materials documenting extensive surveillance activity and information requests directed at right-leaning organizations and donors.
The committee is now reviewing whether federal agencies exceeded their legal authority under the Biden-Harris administration.
Patel’s decision to remove Tapp comes shortly after those disclosures were made public.
Senate Republicans have said that Tapp appeared in internal documents connected to the Arctic Frost operation, though the FBI has not issued an official statement about his departure.
President Trump addressed the matter Wednesday evening, calling for investigations into officials and prosecutors involved in both Arctic Frost and the earlier Russia collusion probe.
“Former FBI Agent Walter Giardina is a DIRTY COP! He should be, along with Deranged Jack Smith, the sinister team of Lisa Monaco and Andrew Weissmann, Liddle’ Jay Bratt, Norm Eisen and his FAKE Charity, CREW, Christopher Wray, Merrick Garland, Thomas Windom, who dreamt up the corrupt J-6 Witch Hunt, should be investigated, immediately,” Trump said in a post to his Truth Social account.
“They are a disgrace to our Nation. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.
The Justice Department has not commented publicly on the removal of Aaron Tapp or on the current status of Operation Arctic Frost.
Patel’s leadership team at the FBI has reportedly been conducting an internal review of high-profile investigations launched prior to his tenure to determine whether any agents engaged in misconduct or politically motivated activity.
The Arctic Frost probe remains one of several overlapping investigations carried out between 2020 and 2023 that have faced criticism from congressional Republicans for alleged bias in federal law enforcement.
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Those “collaborators” should’ve retired the minute Patel was confirmed. Wonder what kept them around. Hubris?
Firing ONE idiot does not in my humble opinion count as a “Purge of Leadership” – unless of course he is not yet telling us about the entire raft of FBI Leadership about to be or recently “quietly” AXED ! ??
We can still live in hope that Patel will live up to his words – there are some positive indicators – but sadly more smoke-screen than indictments !
May I suggest – “FINGER – OUT ! STUCK-IN – GET !!”
Tapp’s Linked In page claims that he is a “natural collaborator.” Does he mean like Vidkun Quisling?
Why isn’t Patel indicting them instead of firing them? That seems a fair question.
One of the federal charges levied by both the Obama and Biden administration against police officers involved in incidents with black Americans was 8 U.S.C. § 242, Deprivation Of Rights Under Color Of Law. They jailed many of them, and many under feeble circumstances in heavily Democrat areas. Does that apply to deprivation of 1st and 4th Amendment rights of Republicans?
Starting in 2016,Obama’s Attorney Generals, FBI Directors, etc repeatedly perjured themselves in FISA courts run by Judge Boasberg (ever heard that name before?). Doing so in order to use Obama’s felonious ‘Russia Dossier’ fraud as supposedly 100% verified intelligence agency evidence to obtain illegitimate spy warrants.
Those felonies to obtain those illegitimate warrants were then used by Comey, McCabe, Wray, and then Mueller to deprive THOUSANDS of Americans of their 1st and 4th Amendment rights. Biden doubled down on doing that with Merrick Garland and Wray similarly doing the same thing without even using warrants.
This has been an ongoing felony concentrated at the very top levels of the DoJ and FBI for over 16 years to wage felony lawfare, while the everyday federal cops just keep plugging away focused on criminals instead of political hit jobs that those at the top see as their mission from God.
I was a cop and I also have a criminology degree – but I am not a lawyer and I don’t pretend to be one on the Internet. From that perspective, I can’t understand why Trump’s top cops aren’t indicting these people rather than just firing them.
So can any lawyer explain why Patel and Bondi only want to fire them? When I think they should instead indict and try them on behalf of the THOUSANDS of Americans they criminally deprived of their 1st and 4th civil rights?
Even if only to restore faith in everyday federal agents and show the public that the new FBI and DoJ does not allow their predecessors to hold themselves above the law.
Anyone have an explanation?
Bondi at the DOJ would drop the ball. Her past actions indicate she would seat a new grand jury and 6 months would be wasted while they study the facts. Then a fed attorney would say there was no evidence and ignore the indictment.
Too bad Bondi doesn’t purge the swamp deadwood at DOJ, more criminals would be behind bars.