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White House responds to surge in Christian persecution crisis across sub-Saharan Africa

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FIRST ON FOX – The White House, faced with an ongoing and growing tsunami of murderous attacks by Islamic State-allied groups against Christians in sub-Saharan Africa, is now working closely with the State Department to find ways to stop the killing.

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Last week, the White House told Fox News Digital, «The Trump administration condemns in the strongest terms this horrific violence against Christians,» after the U.N. reported 49 Christians were butchered with machetes on July 27 in and around a church in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), while Catholic worshipers were praying for peace. Authorities say the killers were Islamist militants from the Allied Democratic Forces, also known as Islamic State DRC.

In neighboring Nigeria last month, 27 Christians were reported killed by Islamist Fulani tribesmen in the village of Bindi Ta-hoss, where residents are predominantly Christian. Eyewitness Solomon Sunday said, «I advised my family to seek refuge in the church, which seemed the safest place at the time. I lost my wife and second daughter in the attack; they were burned [alive] by Fulani militias.» 

Villagers bury their dead following the murder of 49 Christians in the Democratic Republic of Congo by ISIS-linked jihadists. (Open Doors )

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Local youth leader D’Young Mangut, who helped retrieve the bodies, added, «People are being killed like chickens, and nothing is being done.»

«Such grisly proceedings have become commonplace in central Nigeria,» John Eibner, president of Christian human rights organization Christian Solidarity International, told Fox News Digital. «It is part of a longstanding process of violent Islamization, of ethno-religious cleansing. Last Palm Sunday, 50 Christians were similarly slaughtered in nearby Bassa. Over 165 Christians have been killed in the last 4 months in Plateau State (one of Nigeria’s provinces) alone,» he added.

«Massacres of the sort that happen in central Nigeria are also happening with increasing frequency in predominately Christian places like Congo and Mozambique. There is no simple solution.»

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ISIS SOLDIERS BEHEAD CHRISTIANS IN MOZAMBIQUE, BURNING CHURCH AND HOMES: ‘SILENT GENOCIDE’

The U.K. division of Open Doors, a global Christian charity which supports and speaks up for Christians persecuted for their faith, told Fox News Digital, «The crisis facing large areas of sub-Saharan Africa is hard to overstate. It is potentially existential for the future peace and stability of several nations in the region, not least Nigeria.»

Caskets of victims killed by Islamists in Bindi, Nigeria.

Caskets of victims killed by Islamists in Bindi, Nigeria. (Christian Solidarity International (CSI))

«Around 150,000 people have been killed in Jihadist violence over the last ten years. Over 16 million Christians have been driven from their homes and their land across the region.»

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The Trump administration appears to be preparing for action. This week, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, «The Department of State is working closely with the White House to identify opportunities to further the cause of religious freedom around the world.»

BISHOP’S VILLAGE ATTACKED, 20 SLAIN AFTER RECENT TESTIMONY TO CONGRESS ON CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION

The spokesperson added, «Religious freedom for all people worldwide is a moral and national security imperative and a U.S. foreign policy priority.  As President Trump has stated, the United States will vigorously promote this freedom.»

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Nigeria is among the most dangerous places in the world to be a Christian. Recent Open Doors research shows that more Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than the rest of the world combined. Local bishop Wilfred Anagbe was threatened, and some 20 of his parishioners killed, after he spoke out against the killings to a Congressional Committee in March. 

Oct. 31, 2014 - FILE photo of members of Nigeria's Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, Islamic extremists from Nigeria attacked a border town inside Niger, marking the 2nd foreign country attacked by the group in several days.

A photo of members of Nigeria’s Islamic extremist group Boko Haram on Oct. 31, 2014. (AP)

This week, the bishop spoke exclusively to Fox News Digital, declaring that «the attackers form part of the larger Islamic- Jihadists family headed in Nigeria by the likes of Boko Haram, ISIS West Africa and similar groups. Nigeria has had a long history with Islamic fundamentalism. (But) the violence, killing and displacements without consequences suggests a new pattern where the Islamists have resorted to use their control of official government and apparatus to continue this jihad.

«There is a strong tendency by fundamentalist Muslims in Nigeria to turn the whole or part of Nigeria (in)to an Islamic State.»

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POPE, STATE DEPARTMENT CONDEMN LATEST MASSACRE OF CHRISTIANS BY ISLAMIST MILITANTS IN NIGERIA

«This is what the Nazis did to the Jews,» David Onyillokwu Idah, director of the International Human Rights Commission, told Open Doors, adding, «It’s ethnic cleansing, step by step.»

John Samuel, legal expert for Open Doors, told Fox News Digital that where the Islamist groups are operating, if Christians gather for «a prayer meeting, let’s say, or go to a church, (it) could be a one-way ticket, or something very deadly.»

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«If you’re a Christian, you either convert to Islam or die.»

Christian faithful hold signs as they march on the streets of Abuja during a prayer and penance for peace and security in Nigeria in Abuja on March 1, 2020.

Christian faithful hold signs as they march on the streets of Abuja during a prayer and penance for peace and security in Nigeria in Abuja on March 1, 2020. (Photo by KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images)

Samuel gives an example of a Nigerian Christian who was ambushed by Boko Haram fighters. According to his widow, «he was asked to deny his faith and say an Islamic prayer. He refused and he was killed instantly. You are a target. You are a target by the mere fact that you identify with Christ.»

ISLAMIST TERRORISTS KILL 49 CHRISTIANS IN AFRICAN CHURCH MASSACRE; EYEWITNESS REVEALS HORRIFIC DETAILS

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Across the region, it’s claimed the Islamist attackers want the land belonging to the Christians they attack. Lawyer Jabez Musa fights in court in Nigeria to get this land back. He told Fox News Digital the displaced Christians «want their land restored back to them for their livelihood. The cry is always I have been dispossessed of what belongs to me, my house, the food, foodstuff, the land. As we speak, over 64 communities in Plateau State have been dispossessed and taken over by the Fulani militants.»

«Only Christians are targeted, they’re killed, displaced, and their lands are taken over.»

Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors U.K. and Ireland, told Fox News Digital that «African governments must urgently provide three things: justice – because very few of these perpetrators are ever held to account, and this impunity emboldens them.  Restoration – people want their lives back, an opportunity to rebuild their homes, send their kids to school, have a future together.  And protection – the state must protect them from these attacks.  The security forces need to get out of their barracks and be deployed around the most vulnerable.

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Funerals for some 27 Christians who were reportedly killed by Islamist Fulani tribesmen in the village of Bindi Ta-hoss, Nigeria.

Funerals for some 27 Christians who were reportedly killed by Islamist Fulani tribesmen in the village of Bindi Ta-hoss, Nigeria. (Courtesy: Christian Solidarity International (CSI))

«For too long, nobody has been talking about the horrific wholesale slaughter of Christians and moderate Muslims in Africa. The Western world needs to wake up and be outraged,» she said.

One grieving relative told reporters after the massacre in Nigeria’s Bindi Ta-hoss this past month, «We are tired of condolences and statements. What we need is real security, not sympathy.» 

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Fox News Digital reached out to the governments of both Nigeria and the DRC but received no response.

Lawyer Jabez Musa pleaded «I urge the American government, especially President Trump personally … to come to the help of Christians.»

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Kamala Harris-endorsed candidate in hot seat for million-dollar DC home hundreds of miles outside district

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FIRST ON FOX: Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ pick for Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District, Dan Koh, is facing scrutiny for owning a million-dollar home hundreds of miles from the district in Washington, D.C.

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Koh, who held several senior roles in former President Joe Biden’s White House, is running in a crowded race to replace Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton, who is running for the Senate. He has received the endorsement of Harris, who called him a «fighter» who «knows how to get things done.»

Though running in a suburban Massachusetts district, Koh and his wife own a $1.3 million home in a swanky neighborhood by Capitol Hill, which they purchased in 2022, according to the website for the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue.

The two also own a home in Andover, Massachusetts, which sits within the 6th Congressional District, according to the North Essex Registry of Deeds. The Massachusetts home was purchased in 2019 for $810,000.

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KAMALA HARRIS SAYS DEMOCRATS TOOK BLACK WOMEN FOR GRANTED IN 2024

Former Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed former senior White House official Dan Koh for Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo; Official White House Photo by Stephanie Chasez)

Amy Carnevale, chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party, knocked Koh over the home, telling Fox News Digital that «living full-time in D.C. with a no-show house in Massachusetts seems to be a family tradition amongst MassDems.»

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She also criticized another Massachusetts Democrat, Sen. Ed Markey, who she said is «known in the Bay State as the ‘Senator from Chevy Chase,’» because he «is rarely seen in his alleged hometown in Massachusetts.»

«Dan Koh is now looking to follow in that tradition. What a shame for actual residents of Massachusetts who deserve better,» added Carnevale.

In response, a spokesperson for Koh’s campaign told Fox News Digital that «Dan lives full-time at his home in Andover, which he and his wife have owned for over 6 years.»

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DEM SENATOR, 79, DRAWS PRIMARY CHALLENGE FROM REP. SETH MOULTON

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US Capitol Building at sunset on Jan. 30, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Emma Woodhead)

The spokesperson said that Koh «lived in D.C. during his time as a senior official in the White House during the Biden-Harris administration with his family.»

Tax documents available on the district’s Office of Tax and Revenue’s website show that Koh and his wife still own the D.C. home as of August.

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Harris endorsed Koh on Oct. 28, saying: «During our time in the White House, I saw Dan’s steadfast drive to make life better — and more affordable — for working people.»

«He knows how to get things done, will be the fighter you deserve, and is ready on day one,» said Harris, adding, «I’m proud to endorse him and encourage everyone in Massachusetts’ 6th District to support his campaign.»

FORMER VP KAMALA HARRIS ADVOCATES FOR LOWERING THE VOTING AGE

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Kamala Harris on book tour

Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Wiltern Theatre on Sept. 29, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. Harris is in the midst of a 15-city book tour following the release of her new book «107 Days,» recounting her presidential campaign against President Donald Trump. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

A statement by Koh’s campaign said that he is among the first candidates Harris has endorsed in the 2025-26 campaign cycle, which the campaign said demonstrates «the critical importance of electing a strong, effective Democratic leader to represent the 6th District.»

Koh said he is «honored that Vice President Harris has endorsed our campaign for Massachusetts’ 6th District,» adding, «I personally witnessed the Vice President’s tireless dedication to the American people every day in the administration.»

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He added, «I’ll be ready on day one to bring the same brand of leadership to Capitol Hill, getting to work to deliver results for families of our commonwealth and our country.»

Fox News Digital reached out to Harris for contact but did not immediately receive a response.

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Elecciones en Chile: guiños a Pinochet, promesas de mano dura y música de AC/DC en el cierre de campaña del candidato más cercano a Milei

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Carpas blancas, banderas, vallas, un gran escenario y miles de personas que soportaron el sol abrasador que recién se apagó después de las 8 de la noche. El cierre de campaña del candidato de la más extrema derecha para la presidencia de Chile, Johannes Kaiser, muy cerca del centro de Santiago, terminó, como se esperaba, con una fuerte arenga a favor de la mano dura contra el crimen y con guiños a la dictadura de Augusto Pinochet.

El diputado Kaiser, de 49 años, es considerado por muchos como el «Javier Milei chileno», por su estilo tan similar al presidente argentino: extremadamente frontal, a veces provocador, de discurso encendido y a veces radical.

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Johannes Kaiser, el candidato libertario de Chile que cerró su campaña con rock y guiños a Pinochet

Aunque figura en tercer lugar en las encuestas, detrás de la oficialista Jeannette Jara y del ultraderechista José Antonio Kast, muchos analistas aquí no descartan la posibilidad de que Kaiser -aún más a la derecha- pueda desplazar al candidato del Partido Republicano y hacerse un lugar en el balotaje previsto para diciembre. También pelea por ese puesto Evelyn Matthei, quien encarna una derecha más tradicional y moderada.

Kaiser cerró el miércoles su campaña en un acto a pocos metros de la Alameda Bernardo O’Higgins, en Providencia, a pocas cuadras del Palacio presidencial de la Moneda, en Santiago, con la promesa de indultar a policías y militares condenados por casos de represión durante las protestas de 2019, que aquí todos recuerdan como «el estallido social».

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Seguidores de Kaiser, en el acto de cierre de campaña el miércoles, en la capital de Chile. Foto: REUTERS

«Vamos a levantar a Chile de la situación en que lo han metido. Mano dura y economía libre, esa es la respuesta», arengó.

«Los uniformados que han sido condenados por haber defendido la democracia en nuestro país, los vamos a indultar«, aseguró Kaiser frente a miles de seguidores, que llevaban banderas y pancartas con mensajes como «salvemos a Chile».

Según un informe de la Fiscalía, en la ola de protestas sociales entre el 18 de octubre de 2019 y el 31 de marzo de 2020, se registraron poco más de 35.000 delitos. De ellos, un 34% corresponde a crímenes cometidos por agentes del Estado. Treinta personas murieron en ese período y 464 reportaron heridas oculares, según el informe.

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Kaiser, quien escaló en las encuestas las últimas semanas -aunque aquí ya no pueden publicarse sondeos desde el 2 de noviembre y muchos observadores señalan que estos últimos días son cruciales para que muchos electores decidan su voto- eligió para animar su acto, en la plaza de La Aviación, a una banda de tributo al legendario grupo de rock AC/DC.

Esta semana, además, Kaiser se mostró a favor también de indultar a militares condenados por casos de violaciones a los derechos humanos cometidas en la dictadura de Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990), de la que es un ferviente admirador.

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De hecho, algunos medios aquí mencionaban que el acto del miércoles comenzó con el Himno Nacional, con la novedad de que se incluyó una estrofa que se entonaba durante los años de Pinochet y se eliminó desde el regreso a la democracia, en 1990.

“Vuestros nombres, valientes soldados, que habéis sido de Chile el sostén, nuestros pechos los llevan grabados; los sabrán nuestros hijos también”, reza la tercera estrofa del himno, según recuerda el sitio digital Ex-Ante.

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Carteles en el acto de campaña de Johannes Kaiser, en Santiago. Foto: BloombergCarteles en el acto de campaña de Johannes Kaiser, en Santiago. Foto: Bloomberg

Además, en un sector cercano a la estación Salvador del Metro vendían pins de Pinochet a 2.000 pesos chilenos (algo más de 3.000 pesos argentinos) con el lema: “Solo merece vivir quien por un noble ideal está dispuesto a morir”. Entre el público del acto se llegó a escuchar algún grito de «viva Pinochet», señaló Ex-Ante.

El crimen, tema clave en la campaña

La popularidad de Kaiser ha subido de la mano del creciente temor de los chilenos frente a la delincuencia, que vinculan a la migración irregular, según diferentes sondeos.

La tasa de homicidios se triplicó en la última década, pero aún se ubica por debajo del promedio de la región, según los últimos datos de la ONU.

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«No queremos a los jefes de la mafia venezolana, mexicana, brasilera, china, japonesa, de Mongolia y de Rumania» en Chile, dijo Kaiser sobre su deseo de enviar presos a las cárceles de El Salvador, tal como hizo Donald Trump con los inmigrantes irregulares.

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Former Rep. Gohmert blasts Jack Smith for allegedly targeting his personal phone records in J6 probe

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EXCLUSIVE: Former Rep. Louie Gohmert blasted ex-Special Counsel Jack Smith for allegedly targeting his personal phone records as part of his investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots, telling Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that his action «destroys the checks and balances that the founders counted on.»

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Fox News Digital exclusively reported Thursday morning that Smith targeted then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s personal, private phone records, as well as Gohmert’s. 

JACK SMITH SOUGHT THEN-HOUSE SPEAKER MCCARTHY’S PRIVATE PHONE RECORDS IN J6 PROBE, FBI DOCS REVEAL

Fox News Digital exclusively reviewed the document that FBI Director Kash Patel recently shared with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Sen. Ron Johnson containing the explosive revelations. Grassley and Johnson have been leading a joint investigation into Smith’s «Arctic Frost» probe.

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Former Rep. Louie Gohmert blasted ex-Special Counsel Jack Smith for allegedly targeting his personal phone records. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

According to the document, Smith, on Jan. 24, 2023, allegedly sought the «toll records for the personal cell phones of U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (AT&T) and U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert (Verizon.)»

The information was included as part of a «significant case notification» drafted by the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division May 25, 2023.

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«It is astounding that Jack ‘Frost’ Smith went on this persecution,» Gohmert told Fox News Digital Thursday. «Apparently, this guy has never read the Fourth Amendment because you have to describe with particularity what it is you’re going after — there should be probable cause, and they had no probable cause. They were going on a witch hunt.»

Smith had sought Gohmert’s personal cellphone records from November 2020 through the end of January 2021.

«They don’t have any regard for the Fourth Amendment,» he said. «It makes Watergate look like school yard folly.»

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But Gohmert said it is the «principle.»

Jack Smith delivers remarks in August 2023.

Then-Special Counsel Jack Smith’s case cost taxpayers more than $50 million.  (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

«It is the separation of powers that is the problem,» Gohmert explained. «People and whistleblowers contacted me regularly from within the DOJ and the FBI about overreach within the FBI and DOJ. By grabbing my records, they could stifle reporting of potential crimes by people within the agencies.»

JACK SMITH TRACKED PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS, CALLS OF NEARLY A DOZEN GOP SENATORS DURING J6 PROBE, FBI SAYS

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«You can’t just go seize members of Congress’ records even with a warrant because of that separation of powers,» Gohmert said. «There has to be a wall and that’s what troubles me more than anything.»

Gohmert told Fox News Digital that he didn’t remember who he spoke with during the time period Smith sought records, but said that «the last thing I want is for someone who trusted me to keep their name private to have some jack-booted thug like Jack ‘Frost’ Smith grab my records and find out who is tattle tailing on him.» 

He added: «It violates and destroys the checks and balances that the founders counted on.»

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Gohmert, though, told Fox News Digital that he trusts the current Justice Department and FBI leadership.

«I trust the DOJ and trust the people running the FBI,» he said. «We’ll see if there were any crimes committed and, if following the Constitution, they can be properly prosecuted.» 

HAGERTY PRESSES VERIZON OVER FBI’S ACCESS TO HIS PHONE RECORDS DURING JACK SMITH PROBE

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Meanwhile, McCarthy said he will take legal action against Smith. 

Kevin McCarthy speaks on Capitol Hill

Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said he will take legal action against Jack Smith.  (Jose Luis Magana/The Associated Press)

«Jack Smith’s radical and deranged investigation was never about finding the truth,» McCarthy told Fox News Digital. «It was a blatant weaponizing of the Justice Department to attack political opponents of the Biden administration. Perhaps no action underscores this point more than the illegal attempt to access the phone records of sitting members of the House and Senate — including the Speaker of the House.» 

«His illegal targeting demands real accountability,» McCarthy continued. «And I am confident Congress will hold hearings and access documents in its investigation into Jack Smith’s own abuses.» 

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HAGERTY PRESSES VERIZON OVER FBI’S ACCESS TO HIS PHONE RECORDS DURING JACK SMITH PROBE

«At the same time, I will ask my own counsel to pursue all areas of redress so this does not happen to anyone else,» McCarthy said. 

The revelations come after Fox News Digital exclusively reported in October that Smith and his «Arctic Frost» team investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots were tracking the private communications and phone calls of nearly a dozen Republican senators as part of the probe, including 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.

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An official told Fox News Digital that those records were collected in 2023 by Smith and his team after subpoenaing major telephone providers. 

Smith has called his decision to subpoena and track Republican lawmakers’ phone records «entirely proper» and consistent with Justice Department policy.

«As described by various Senators, the toll data collection was narrowly tailored and limited to the four days from January 4, 2021 to January 7, 2021, with a focus on telephonic activity during the period immediately surrounding the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol,» Smith’s lawyers wrote in October to Grassley.

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Grassley, R-Iowa, and Johnson, R-Wis., have been investigating the matter. 

Sen. Chuck Grassley

Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., have been investigating the matter.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

An FBI official told Fox News Digital that «Arctic Frost» is a «prohibited case,» and that the review required FBI officials to go «above and beyond in order to deliver on this promise of transparency.» The discovery is part of a broader ongoing review, Fox News Digital has learned.

Smith, after months of investigating, charged President Donald Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request. 

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Smith’s case cost taxpayers more than $50 million. 

Smith did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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