It’s another case of the good, the bad, and the ugly on Capitol Hill, the fallout of which will put another dent in the House Republican majority concerning their inability to trip over themselves. Speaker Mike Johnson let us down. In this fight, however, I’m willing to take the sting of the bad press because FISA needs to be overhauled.
On Wednesday, the procedural vote for FISA’s re-authorization got torpedoed by House conservatives. On paper, yes, it’s a blow to the Republican majority. Still, one of Johnson’s own doing—the House Speaker also opposed this reauthorization earlier (via Associated Press):
A bill that would reauthorize a crucial national security surveillance program was blocked Wednesday by a conservative revolt, pushing the prospects of final passage into uncertainty amid a looming deadline. The legislative impasse follows an edict earlier in the day from former President Donald Trump to “kill” the measure.
The breakdown comes months after a similar process to reform and reauthorize the surveillance program fell apart before it even reached the House floor. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has called the program “critically important” but has struggled to find a path forward on the issue, which has been plagued by partisan bickering for years. The procedural vote to bring up the bill Wednesday failed 193-228, with nearly 20 Republicans voting no.
It marks the latest blow to Johnson’s leadership as he faces being ousted from his job in the same stunning fashion as his predecessor. Hours before the vote, the Republican leader made a final push urging for passage, saying Congress must “address these abuses” without cutting off the surveillance program entirely.
These spy warrants, which have been abused and weaponized by the FBI to go after the enemies of the Democratic Party, were lambasted by Mike Johnson in the past. Why did he change course? Well, the FBI sat him down for a classified briefing, and like magic, he changed his mind. Talk about ‘the swamp’ in action here:
Speaker Mike Johnson elaborates on his FISA flip flop from when he was a rank and file member of the House, explaining that after receiving classified briefings he has a “different perspective.” pic.twitter.com/mrLj9ouEji
— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotcnn) April 10, 2024
…of section 702 of FISA and how important it is for national security. And it gave me a different perspective.”
— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotcnn) April 10, 2024
“That’s part of the process, you have to be fully informed,” he added.
Just absolutely amazing that Speaker Johnson admits that he completely changed his view on the need for the FBI/NSA's warrantless spying powers -- after vocally opposing it -- because he went to get a classified briefing and they convinced him.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) April 11, 2024
That's how DC works. https://t.co/4N5AsGA4Z5
Johnson is facing a motion by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), where, like Kevin McCarthy, he would have the speaker’s gavel wrested from him. But do we have a better person to lead House Republicans? Johnson has disappointed, like most politicians, but while the motion to vacate is probably warranted, I don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel if we pull the trigger this time. I also think there’s a risk of Hakeem Jeffries becoming speaker. It’s bad all around.
Does this thing ever strike you as one gigantic, self-licking ice cream cone of a psy op? https://t.co/qTz5XK02ZX
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) April 12, 2024