Business meeting to consider S.1884, to clarify the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016, to appropriately limit the application of defenses based on the passage of time and other non-merits defenses to claims under that Act, and the nominations of Robert P. Chamberlin, and James D. Maxwell II, both to be a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Mississippi, Thomas Ferguson III, to be United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, James Kruger, to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, Scott Leary, of Mississippi, to be United States Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, Andrew Duva, of Florida, to be an Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice, William J. Crain, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Alexander C. Van Hook, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana, and Ryan Anthony Kriegshauser, of Kansas, to be United States Attorney for the District of Kansas.

Committee on the Judiciary

2025-11-06

Source: Congress.gov

Summary

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing addressing the Arctic Frost investigation, which involved expanded FBI surveillance of over 430 Republican groups and individuals, including members of Congress. Senator Grassley highlighted the role of whistleblowers in exposing the operation and called for Jack Smith to testify under oath. The committee also considered the Holocaust Expropriation Art Recovery Act of 2025, which extends and strengthens protections for Holocaust survivors' claims to Nazi-looted art. Senators Durbin, Cornyn, and Cruz emphasized bipartisan support for the bill, stressing that justice must be upheld on the merits and not lost to legal technicalities or time. The hearing also scrutinized President Trump’s actions, including pardons to January 6 rioters and crypto-related figures, and criticized federal law enforcement operations in Chicago for racial profiling and constitutional violations. The committee reaffirmed its oversight role and called for transparent, accountable investigations across DOJ and DHS agencies.

Participants

Transcript

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WTOP.  News happens here.   We continue to follow breaking news.  Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she will not seek re-election to the U.S. House.  She announced her decision in a video posted this morning to social media.  That is why I want you, my fellow San Franciscans, to be the first to know I will not be seeking re-election to Congress.  With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative.  She was first elected to Congress in 1980.
Good morning, everybody.  On today's agenda, we have nine nominations listed.  We'll vote on Thomas Ferguson for US Attorney.  We'll hold over the remaining nominees listed on our agenda for later consideration.  Additionally, we'll be voting on S1884,   the Holocaust Expropriation Art Recovery Act of 2025.  That goes by the acronym of HEAR.  Before turning to the agenda, give an update on Arctic Frost Investigation.  Last week, Senator Johnson and I made public 197 Jack Smith subpoenas.   consisting of almost 2,000 pages of records.  These records show that the Biden DOJ and FBI expanded Arctic Frost to target over 430 Republican groups and individuals.  This included Republican members of Congress and some of our colleagues on this very committee.  To date, we've learned Jack Smith subpoenaed   the phone records of at least 13 members of Congress, including 11 senators.  I expect there may be more come public.  Judge Boasberg issued non-disclosure orders that hid these subpoenas and are subject to my investigation.  I'll have more to share of that on a later date.  Starting in January,   Senator Johnson and I have made public thousands of pages of records.
Most of the records are from whistleblowers.  And obviously, when you get records that way, they aren't overly redacted, like most of the stuff you get through the official channels.  What we've shown is that Arctic Frost was a runaway train   I've heard some say that we haven't done anything regarding Arctic Frost.  That's pretty unbelievable, since no one would even know what went on without Johnson and the Grassley oversight.  And our oversight has led to accountability.  The FBI unit started Arctic Frost, has been now dismantled.   Many agents who were part of the investigation have been fired and deservedly so.  Accountability measures are still ongoing.

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