Sen. Chuck Grassley’s latest revelations regarding Operation Arctic Frost demonstrate that the weaponization of our government is far more dangerous than previously understood. However, what is truly infuriating is the Republican reflex to attach Biden’s name to abuses carried out by the FBI, CIA, or any one of our endless alphabet agencies. Framing it as “Biden’s FBI” or “Biden’s CIA” misses the point entirely and diminishes the severity of the structural threat.
These labels make Operation Arctic Frost and other abuses sound like political controversies. They ignore the grave reality that it is the product of a permanent bureaucracy that is so powerful, it operates as an unelected “fourth branch of government” that seems to be unencumbered by the Constitution.
It also demonstrates a judiciary gone rogue, where some judges like James Boasberg elevate ideology over the Constitution. These judges shield a bureaucracy that routinely violates the rights of the American people with impunity. Calling it “Biden’s FBI” implies that if Republicans are in power, the problem will fix itself. The hard truth is it won’t, and we can see it hasn’t. The corruption didn’t begin under Biden, and it won’t end under a Republican administration.
There is clear evidence that the bureaucracy operates independently of the administration regardless of which party controls the White House. For Republicans to think that President Trump’s return to office will make the bureaucracy suddenly obey constitutional limits is dangerously naïve.
Just look at President Trump’s first term. Not only did the bureaucracy target him, but it also went after his allies and millions of ordinary Americans, including Catholics and parents concerned about their children’s education. Operation Crossfire Hurricane was an “insurance policy” in case Donald Trump won the presidency. When the Russian collusion narrative collapsed, the bureaucracy pivoted to a new front. A leaked phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky became the next weapon. They were determined to remove a duly elected president by any means necessary.
Even while Trump was still president, the permanent bureaucracy pivoted to censorship and information warfare to target him and his supporters. Several federal agencies pressured tech companies to censor Americans on a wide variety of topics, including Covid and elections. In addition, the FBI sought to suppress and discredit the Hunter Biden laptop scandal, even though it had been authenticated and in their possession for more than a year. Subsequently, 51 intelligence officials colluded to mislead the American public and falsely claimed it was Russian disinformation.
And it wasn’t just the law enforcement and intelligence community engaging in these abuses. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS), responsible for delivering mail, not surveilling Americans, got into the mix through its ICOP program to monitor Americans’ online activity. The Stanford Election Integrity Partnership was nothing more than a DHS-run operation to silence millions of Americans online under the pretense of combating “misinformation.”
A plethora of other examples exist, and while the abuses escalated under the Biden administration, we cannot ignore that this weaponization has unfolded over decades. It’s rooted in a bureaucracy that has amassed so much power and operates with impunity because of a feckless legislative branch that refuses to exercise meaningful oversight. The entrenched bureaucracy is also aided and abetted by ideological judges who legitimize actions that blatantly violate both the Constitution and the public trust.
I have watched the endless parade of Republican lawmakers express outrage over the latest revelations. They call for more investigations and demand accountability, but accountability without reform is meaningless. Congress has the power to rein these agencies in, yet little has been done in the way of meaningful legislation.
Firing a few bad actors, holding another round of hearings, or implementing internal reforms that can be easily undone by the next administration, won’t stop the bureaucracy that has come to view itself outside of constitutional constraints. Congress must also impeach and remove Judge James Boasberg. The rule of law collapses when the judiciary abandons its role as a neutral arbiter and check on executive power. It seems that the very institutions designed to protect liberty have become the greatest threat to it.
This isn’t about who sits in the Oval Office. It’s about a permanent government that disregards the separation of powers and our system of checks and balances.
The bureaucracy has grown into the most powerful political force in Washington. The only way to prevent these abuses from continuing is for Congress to cut budgets and strip away statutory authorities. Congress must reclaim the power of the purse and stop handing these agencies a blank check. Create automatic defunding triggers for any agency that is caught violating constitutional rights. Bureaucrats understand the language of money, and they will quickly change their behavior as witnessed when the IRS lost funding after it was caught targeting Tea Party groups.
Congress must also rewrite the laws that have enabled these abuses. We can no longer afford to have vague statutes that give these agencies open-ended authority. Every law should clearly define the limits of power and include personal liabilities for any bureaucrat who knowingly violates the Constitution. It is just as important to make these agencies justify their existence. Make them defend every power they claim, and if they can’t, those powers should vanish. This is how you make the bureaucracy work for the people, not rule over them.
Finally, Congress must restore transparency. Too often, the bureaucracy is shielded by secret courts and redactions under the guise of national security. Congress should require full public reporting of every subpoena, warrant, and surveillance order that touches political organizations, journalists, or elected officials.
Our bureaucracy has been allowed to hide in the shadows for far too long, and self-government cannot survive when nameless, unelected officials wield more power than our elected representatives.
If Congress continues to treat this as a political issue rather than a structural crisis, the erosion of liberty will accelerate. Unless Congress acts, the “fourth branch of government” will continue to operate outside constitutional limits and erode the Republic from within.
