Staff Reports
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who initially supported adding a warrant requirement to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), had a change of heart this week, which led to the stalling of the renewal for the spying law. The Louisiana Republican attributed his U-turn to receiving a confidential intelligence briefing when he assumed the role of House speaker. During the classified briefings, Mr. Johnson stated that he learned information that convinced him that adding a warrant requirement was unnecessary to prevent FBI abuses.
This change in stance led to 19 Republicans and 209 Democrats blocking the reauthorization of FISA’s Section 702, which permits the U.S. to collect electronic communications of foreigners in foreign countries. However, there have been instances when Americans’ data has been inadvertently gathered as well. The opposition from Republicans was due to their calls for more limitations on the law, including the insertion of a warrant requirement when the FBI searches for Americans’ data in the FISA database.
Speaker Mike Johnson explains his flip-flop on warrants for FISA spying on Americans https://t.co/0Qsg4Y3ZHd
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) April 11, 2024
As the expiration of the FISA law approaches, Mr. Johnson emphasized the importance of Section 702 for national security, stressing the necessity of the provision. Nonetheless, his reversal on the warrant requirement sparked criticism from fellow Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, who were disappointed in his change of position. Some members voiced their concern that Mr. Johnson’s stance might alienate him from conservative colleagues.
In light of the controversy surrounding Mr. Johnson’s decision, some lawmakers called for him to persuade his colleagues on the Judiciary Committee of the validity of his new position. This development has caused a rift among Republican lawmakers, with concerns being raised about the implications of Mr. Johnson’s reversal on FISA.
