House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on April 14 defended his crucial vote against an amendment that would have required intelligence agencies to get a warrant to search Americans’ data under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
Last week, the House passed a reauthorization of the controversial spying program for two years by a vote of 273–147.
That final passage came after an amendment by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) to require a warrant to query Americans’ communications and other data failed in a rare tie vote. Mr. Johnson, who, as speaker, doesn’t always vote, cast the decisive vote that killed the proposal, prompting outrage and condemnation from some conservatives.
During an April 14 appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” Mr. Johnson defended that vote, saying that a warrant requirement is “not helpful.”
He insisted that Section 702 is an important tool that has stopped other terrorist attacks like 9/11.
“Remember, that’s how we killed terrorists. That’s how we stopped terrorist plots on US soil,” Mr. Johnson said. “That’s why we haven’t had another 9/11 since that terrible tragedy.”
Mr. Johnson’s comments come after he held a press conference with former President Donald Trump earlier this week, during which President Trump expressed his support for the speaker.
During his Sunday appearance, Mr. Johnson said that President Trump is “100 percent with me.”
However, the two have had at least one public break over the FISA issue.
In a post to Truth Social that came just days before the House passage of the reauthorization, President Trump wrote, “KILL FISA, IT WAS ILLEGALLY USED AGAINST ME, AND MANY OTHERS. THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN!!!”
President Trump in that post was referencing the program’s use in the botched and discredited Crossfire Hurricane probe into his 2016 campaign, which was predicated on false claims that President Trump was working with Russia.
Despite this disagreement, Mr. Johnson said that he and the former president “agree on the necessity of the uses of FISA.”
“President Trump used it and he reauthorized it in 2018 for six years and that’s why it’s up again,” Mr. Johnson added.
The authority expired during President Trump’s term and, despite his reservations about the program, he encouraged Congress at the time to reauthorize it.
Mr. Johnson argued that having a bill that would expire in two years means that, should President Trump win reelection in November, “he’s the one that gets to determine what’s working well.”
Speaking further about the issue of warrants, Mr. Johnson explained the reasoning behind his vote.
Mr. Johnson used to support the warrant requirement, but has said he changed his mind after receiving classified briefings on the program.
He gave an example to explain why he thinks a warrant requirement would be too burdensome for intelligence agencies.
“If we’re surveilling a terrorist in the Middle East, and the terrorist sends an email to a guy named John Smith in Any Town, U.S.A, and the email says, ‘The components will be delivered to your house this afternoon for further assembly and delivery to the high school stadium during the game,’ I think every American would want the analyst who saw that email from that foreign terrorist to do a query of the other communications between those two persons,” Mr. Johnson said.
He said that these uses of Americans’ data are “not unlawful.”
“If analysts had to get a warrant before that, it would add a huge time delay. The courts are not set up to be able to handle all that volume. And Americans may die,” Mr. Johnson said. “We want to look at those emails and find out, ’my goodness, which high school stadium, what time, and is this a bomb, and what are the components?’ We have to continue that to save American lives.”
The Senate has yet to pass the legislation, and it is likely that in the upper chamber too, debates will rage between national security hawkishness and civil liberty concerns.
However, a warrant requirement seems likely to have less support in the Senate than it did in the lower chamber, and Section 702 seems to be on track for a swift reauthorization when the Senate returns Monday.
President Joe Biden, who has also spoken against the warrant requirement, is expected to sign it.
“Remember, that’s how we killed terrorists. That’s how we stopped terrorist plots on US soil,” Mr. Johnson said. “That’s why we haven’t had another 9/11 since that terrible tragedy.”
Clownish ‘Republicans’ like Johnson speak about stopping ‘terrorist plots on US soil’ yet have done nothing to stop the INVASION of our country which allows terrorist to gain entry TO our country to carry those plots out.
Exactly. WHY “create so many lists”, when our border is literally an open door?
WHY have all those watchlists, when time after time, someone on them GETS INTO OUR NATION and is only found after the fact?
Orwellian “BIG GUY”-“Big Brother” Biden controlled FISA falsifiers, are now everywhere watching YOU, focusing on anyone who challenges their power, using every illegal deceptive means necessary to keep that power by judicially threatening those who might get strong enough to oppose them. Stealing elections is just child’s play to they who control ALL the levers of media, and government investigations that always pop up like a pre-election jack in the box that plays “Pop goes the weasel”. Establishment controlled FISA people are now playing the part of the weasels. Congress is just one circle of life of their three-ring circus of clowns, bearded ladies, pinheads and three headed Geeks, who head our Executive Branch, House and Senate, with no competent Ring Master to sort out the mess, just carnival barkers who promise you anything but deliver false hopes when the real man behind the curtain is revealed, and the bankrupting carnival entry fee that defunds you gets paid. One good strong election wind might just blow all their tents down, but lookout for the carnivorous animals that might escape to return again with their appetites for American red meat. Free lunch, Social dependency is the current insatiable appetite that keeps these critters going. Spicy, Dicey, Illegal Foreign delivered dishes is their main menu offered.
Russia said it best, ITS NOT WHO you vote for, that matters, its WHO COUNT the votes!
Shameful position for Mike. Maybe Johnson will change his last name to Perloser. No real difference here between him, McCarthy, and Perloser over the past several weeks. He supports continuing resolutions (gubment funded at the same level or said another way – at the same wasteful, non-productive level), 1.2 trillion spending package with over $100 million to fund DEI trainings for the Department of Health and Human Services (what?????), and now this non-change in FISA. Kind of makes you wonder if there are any real differences between the repos and demos. No warrant needed to search Americans. Gestapo, KGB, and Stasi here we come. I guess we are already there.
Maybe the gop, may as well have LET that dem, win the speakership, FOR ALL THE BLOODY GOOD having a so-called republican one has done.
No surprise whatsoever on this vote, in the minds of a tyrannical government regime, the laws are made to enslave the citizens, NOT the tyrannical government regime that steals your money and anything else they can grab from you!
Absolutely no consequences for the tyrannical government that constantly breaks our written laws. And yet your government makes up unwritten laws to harass Trump! Third world criminals have your government!
There’s going to be another 9-11 with all the unvetted new comers. Then after it happens the blue people can use FISA to go after the reds..
Stephen Crane wrote a poem in which he described the world as a boat without a rudder. That’s the Republican Party. It seems like what they do is simply futile.
The democrats have no plan. The Republicans will lose more elections.
I wonder….With all the current “undocumented” migrants, do we really want to have to get a warrant to get a handle on same? Just askin’. This looks like the classic double edged sword.
Johnson is wrong on this. Taking away freedoms in the name of security has always been a tactic of oppressive governments. If Democrats and Republicans was concerned about terrorist activity in the U.S., they would immediately seal our borders. There is little need to secretly surveil phone calls from other countries when the terrorists are already here along with the tools they need to cause carnage.
As iirc Ben franklin said, THOSE WHO give up essential liberty for security, DESERVE NEITHER!