FBI Director Kash Patel is forcing out the special agent in charge whose name appeared in documents recently released by Senate Republicans detailing the investigation into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, two people familiar with the matter tell MSNBC.
The agent, Aaron Tapp, had been named to the post in San Antonio last year. He is a 22-year FBI veteran who specialized in fraud and financial and cyber crimes, according to his LinkedIn profile. It was not immediately clear whether he would be allowed to retire from the bureau.
Tapp could not be reached for comment. The FBI does not comment on personnel matters.
The removal of Tapp is the latest example of an ongoing purge by Patel of FBI agents who worked on cases that have drawn the ire of President Trump, including investigations of the Jan. 6 riot, Trump’s handling of classified documents and the Trump campaign’s interactions with Russians in 2016.
“Arctic Frost” was the FBI’s code name for the investigation into efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election through bogus claims of fraud, a massive probe that resulted in a grand jury indictment of Trump on conspiracy and fraud charges. The case was dropped when Trump was reelected in 2024.
Senate Republicans this week released internal FBI documents related to the probe, including 197 subpoenas, some of which targeted records related to members of Congress. Republicans and Trump have made a series of claims that the FBI and Justice Department acted improperly, allegations disputed by legal experts on both sides of the political spectrum. “The notion that there was something scandalous about leadership at the DOJ and FBI approving an investigation into conduct that resulted in viable criminal charges is ridiculous,” wrote conservative legal scholar Andrew McCarthy of the National Review. The prosecutor who oversaw the investigation, former Special Counsel Jack Smith, has said he followed the law, as well as Justice Department policies, and no evidence has surfaced to suggest otherwise. Tapp’s name appears on a list of “FBI leaders who oversaw Arctic Frost,” by Oversight Project, a far-right account on X. During the investigation, he served as Section Chief for the bureau’s Financial Crimes Section.
Ken Dilanian is the justice and intelligence correspondent for MS NOW.
Carol Leonnig is a senior investigative reporter with MS NOW. Recommended
