Exclusive: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) was forced to back out of a House vote on updating and overhauling the U.S. government’s key surveillance tools after members of the Republican caucus threatened to revolt. This was revealed on Fox News Digital.
The House of Commons Rules Committee has partially finished considering the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Section 702 update bill, but a spokesperson for Prime Minister Johnson said a planned vote in the full House was still scheduled for this week. announced that it would not be held.
The Rules Committee, which had to approve the bill before it could be sent to the House, abruptly adjourned the remainder of the session without explanation.
However, four sources told FOX News Digital that all developments regarding the FISA bill will be delayed at a later date because members of the House Intelligence Committee have threatened to block a procedural vote to effectively repeal the bill. It is said that it will be postponed.
Speaker Mike Johnson was forced to abandon a planned FISA House vote this week. (Getty Images)
“Instead of playing the game according to the rules and regulations, Inter decided to walk away from the negotiating document and revised plans and take the ball home without understanding why,” one source said.
Three additional sources close to the Intelligence Committee disputed this statement to Fox News Digital, saying the text of the bill does not have their consent or the consent of the House Judiciary Committee, which was also considering the bill. said it was changed over the weekend.
They say the issue is primarily related to an amendment proposed by Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus who is not on either committee. He said that
One of the two sources said Mr Davidson’s amendments were not “close” to the compromise bill and that the bill was considered unrelated until the changes were made over the weekend. This means that it was not subject to consideration.
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“Someone on the leadership staff ended up drafting the text that was going to be inserted into the basic text over the weekend, so they basically airdropped this one paragraph into the basic text. The relationship has become very close,” the person said. “The proposed amendment completely undermines FISA, and the added language completely undermines FISA in terms of its ability as a national security tool.”
The person said betting on whether Davidson’s amendment will pass is “like playing Russian roulette.”
The House Freedom Caucus criticizes the Intel Committee’s FISA bill. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, via Getty Images)
While Section 702 has been credited with preventing terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, it has also been criticized as a tool for spying on American citizens.
This would allow the government to monitor certain foreign nationals outside the country without obtaining a warrant, even if the person they are communicating with is a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil.
Mr. Davidson’s amendment would force federal agencies operating within FISA to seek a warrant before attempting to obtain communications and location data of U.S. citizens held by third parties.
The bill, scheduled to be considered this week, is the result of months of consultation between the Judiciary Committee and the Intelligence Committee. Both sides agreed that Section 702 needed to be reformed, and a seven-member task force was created to work out a compromise, two people familiar with the matter said.
Law enforcement officials, along with a coalition of Republican hardliners and progressives, called for severe restrictions on FISA, viewing it as a tool that could be misused to spy on Americans. Members of the Intelligence Committee argued that the restrictions would make it ineffective as a means of deterring terrorist attacks.
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Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), the intelligence official, agreed that FISA needs reform and defended the committee’s work on the issue, but said he believes aspects of warrants pose a threat to the American public. He argued that this could hinder efforts to prevent this.
He said the committee’s proposed focus on increased transparency and oversight of the FISA court “will help resolve these issues and will help protect national security and, secondly, improve the FBI’s responsibilities.” It will guide us on the best path forward in pursuing our goals.”
Lahoud also pointed to a letter signed by former Trump administration national security officials expressing support for the committee’s bill.
Rep. Warren Davidson’s amendment is said to be a big part of the problem. (Getty Images)
“This was airdropped there,” a second source close to the intelligence committee said of the document related to Mr. Davidson’s amendment. “This was something the seven members of the working group had never understood or considered before. So really, it was disingenuous to think that would be part of it. And essentially… , [House GOP leadership] Agreed. ”
The person said Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) were “surprised” to hear that the text of the law had been changed.
A third source said: “What they are looking for is a secondary requirement, a warrant to query a database of data that has already been legally collected… It is equivalent to requiring a warrant for the same.” License plate. ”
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Rep. Ralph Norman (RS.C.), a Davidson ally who supported his warrant amendment, fired back at the Intelligence Committee’s reform efforts, saying, “Intel doesn’t want the judiciary to intervene.” ” he said. [amendments]. You see, the Judiciary Committee is a committee of jurisdiction. I should have gone there. ”
But a third source close to the intelligence committee said its members “see threats to our country up close and personal every day.”
It was not immediately clear when House Republican leaders planned to reintroduce the bill. The House leadership has until April 19th before Section 702 expires.
Johnson and Davidson’s offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
