Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, opened an executive business meeting on November 6, 2025, addressing several agenda items and providing an update on his investigation into Arctic Frost.
Grassley stated that the committee would vote on the nomination of Thomas Ferguson to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. The remaining nominations listed on the agenda would be held over for later consideration. According to Grassley, Ferguson is “a highly qualified nominee, who has earned numerous awards during his career.” He noted Ferguson’s previous experience as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington D.C., where he prosecuted drug crimes, and his more than twelve years in private practice handling white collar defense and civil disputes. Grassley expressed confidence in Ferguson’s ability to perform well in the new role.
The committee also planned to vote on S. 1884, known as the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2025 (HEAR Act). Grassley thanked Senators Cornyn and Blumenthal for introducing this bipartisan bill, which builds upon prior legislative efforts from the 114th Congress aimed at reuniting Holocaust victims with lost art. He referenced a previous hearing from June 2016 regarding stolen heritage: “As I said at that hearing in 2016, ‘The bottom line is this: we need to fulfill our commitment to make sure that this artwork is returned to its rightful owners.’” He added that the current legislation would help ensure Holocaust victims and their families can seek justice in court and have their cases heard based on their merits.
Grassley also provided an update on his Arctic Frost investigation. He said that last week he and Senator Johnson made public 197 Jack Smith subpoenas totaling nearly 2,000 pages of records, showing what he described as expanded efforts by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI targeting over 430 Republican groups and individuals. This included Republican Members of Congress and some members of the Judiciary Committee itself.
“To date, we’ve learned Jack Smith subpoenaed the phone records of at least 13 Members of Congress, including 11 Senators. I expect there’ll be more,” Grassley said. He noted that non-disclosure orders issued by Judge Boasberg concealed these subpoenas and are currently under investigation.
Since January, according to Grassley, thousands of pages—mostly from whistleblowers—have been released publicly regarding Arctic Frost. “What we’ve shown is that Arctic Frost was a runaway train,” he said.
He addressed criticisms about oversight efforts: “I’ve heard some say we haven’t done anything regarding Arctic Frost. That’s pretty unbelievable since no one would even know what went on without our oversight. And our oversight has led to accountability.”
Grassley reported that the FBI unit responsible for initiating Arctic Frost had been dismantled and many agents involved had been dismissed: “And deservedly so.” Accountability measures remain ongoing as further oversight continues.
He called for greater transparency from DOJ: “But it’s important that the DOJ produce records at the rate and volume of my whistleblowers, without unnecessary redactions.”
Grassley concluded by expressing anticipation for strong bipartisan support for both Ferguson’s nomination and passage of the HEAR Act.
