Jack Smith Subpoenaed Phone Records of Former Kansas AG in Broad 2020 Election Probe
Kline served as director of the Amistad Project at the Thomas More Society during the post-election period where he coordinated planned lawsuits challenging the presidential election outcomes in six swing states.
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith issued a subpoena for the phone records of Phill Kline, a former Kansas attorney general who led external efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results, as part of the Department of Justice's "Operation Arctic Frost" investigation.
Documents obtained by The Tennessee Star reveal that Kline was among approximately 430 individuals and organizations targeted in the probe, which began in April 2022 under the Biden administration and focused on then-President Donald Trump and his allies' contestation of the election. This disclosure marks the first indication that Smith's inquiry extended beyond White House officials and lawmakers to include outside legal experts and groups questioning the results.
Kline, currently a law professor at Liberty University, served as director of the Amistad Project at the Thomas More Society during the post-election period. In that role, he coordinated planned lawsuits challenging the presidential election outcomes in six swing states and was among the first to publicly accuse Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg of using the Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL) to fund what Kline described as a "shadow campaign" that allegedly inflated voter turnout in key Democratic areas before the January 6, 2021, certification.
The subpoena, dated August 1, 2023, and signed by a U.S. District Court judge in Washington, D.C., sought records from October 1, 2020, to January 31, 2021—a narrower timeframe than subpoenas issued to some others, such as U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, which spanned over two years. Requested data included subscriber information, names and addresses, inbound and outbound call logs, text messages, voicemails, payment methods (such as credit card or bank details for phone bills), associated phone numbers, and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses used for internet access via Verizon devices.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, authorized the subpoena and barred Verizon from notifying Kline, citing concerns that disclosure could lead to evidence tampering, witness intimidation, or jeopardy to the investigation. The records were to be provided to a former FBI agent who was later dismissed under FBI Director Kash Patel.
Verizon informed the Kline family of the subpoena on February 25, 2026, after the non-disclosure order expired. The probe also subpoenaed records from at least eight U.S. senators, including Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), as well as U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA).
Sen. Blackburn, during a Senate hearing last month, criticized Smith for violating his oath of office by secretly obtaining lawmakers' records and securing non-disclosure orders without sufficient justification. She stated, “They thought they could hide it, and we would never know,” and indicated she is exploring legal options against Smith and former DOJ officials.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has described the operation as a "taxpayer-funded Biden DOJ witch hunt," highlighting the issuance of 197 subpoenas in total. The revelations come amid broader scrutiny of multiple FBI investigations targeting Trump and his supporters over the past decade.