House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) on Wednesday outlined his apparent reversal on the controversial surveillance law, saying he now supports limited reforms after receiving a confidential briefing. He said there was.
House Speaker Johnson was asked by reporters why he changed his mind about amending Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Although the law targets foreign adversaries, it is a controversial surveillance law that monitors communications of American citizens, often without a warrant.
Prime Minister Johnson this week opposed Section 702’s warrant requirements and moved to reject an amendment that would have prohibited intelligence and law enforcement agencies from purchasing Americans’ personal information through third-party data brokers. . This would appear to circumvent the Fourth Amendment’s protection against warrantless searches.
Johnson supports legislation to close the data broker loophole in July 2023, and Louisiana lawmakers support the USA RIGHTS Act, which FreedomWorks called one of the “strongest possible reforms” to FISA. This represents a dramatic reversal.
Mr Johnson said his withdrawal came after receiving a confidential briefing on Section 702, explaining:
When I was a member of the Department of Justice, I saw the abuse, the terrible abuse, of the FBI over and over again…and when I became chairman, I went to SCIF and looked at another perspective on it. I received a confidential briefing regarding such matters. Explain the need for Section 702 of FISA and how important it is to national security. And it gave me a different perspective.
“It’s part of the process and we need to be fully informed,” he added.
House Speaker Mike Johnson elaborated on FISA flip-flops from when he was a member of the House of Commons, explaining that he came to have a “different perspective” after receiving a classified briefing. pic.twitter.com/mrLj9ouEji
— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotcnn) April 10, 2024
WATCH: Jim Jordan: 204,000 Reasons to Oppose FISA Reauthorization
House Judiciary Committee / YouTube
In response to reports that Johnson had recanted over the warrant request issue, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) told Breitbart News that this facilitation of the intelligence community was “typical of the D.C. cartel.” “Example,” he said.
Mr. Biggs said: “It looks like you’re involved with the D.C. Cartel. I think they’re here to tell you there’s going to be blood on your hands. And the cartel is going to try to intimidate people and put fear into them. And some people forget why they took their original position.”
Some lawmakers argue that allowing Section 702 to expire is not the worst thing for the country.
Representative Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) explained:
When the Section 215 business records provisions expired in 2020, the intelligence community did not stop collecting information. They won’t stop collecting information even after Section 702 expires. Executive Order 12333 is comprehensive. If Congress does not restrict spying on Americans and restore the Fourth Amendment, #FISA It should expire.
. . .
When the Section 215 business records provisions expired in 2020, the intelligence community did not stop collecting information. They won’t stop collecting information even after Section 702 expires.
Executive Order 12333 is comprehensive. If Congress doesn’t restrict spying…
— Warren Davidson 🇺🇸 (@WarrenDavidson) April 10, 2024
“Reauthorizing the FISA Section 702 program without significant reform would give the government the power to continue to unjustifiably surveil Americans,” said Congressman John Rhodes (R-Tenn.). “This is in direct contradiction to what the Founders intended when they adopted the Fourth Amendment right to privacy.” This week’s Breitbart News.
He added that “leaving the program suspended is far from the worst action Congress could take.”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter at Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
