Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) opposes a warrant requirement that he once supported for a controversial surveillance law, according to a report.
Politico reported that Johnson’s staffer told a group of Republican staffers that the Speaker opposes a warrant requirement as the House moves toward a vote on a bill aimed at reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a controversial surveillance law that is meant to target foreign adversaries but often ends up surveilling American citizens.
Johnson reportedly opposes the two main reforms that privacy advocates have asked for: a warrant requirement for searches of Americans’ private communications and a measure to bar intelligence and law enforcement agencies from purchasing information from third-party brokers.
The Louisiana congressman opposes two measures that he once supported before he became Speaker.
In July 2023, Johnson voted to advance the First Amendment Is Not For Sale Act out of the House Judiciary Committee, which would bar data brokers from sharing information with law enforcement agencies without a warrant.
Johnson also supported the USA RIGHTS Act, which FreedomWorks described as one of the “strongest possible reforms” of FISA.
Privacy advocates have noticed the apparent contradiction between Johnson’s current stance and his prior support for privacy reform.
Sean Vitka, the policy director for Demand Progress, said about the Politico report, “Cool. So @SpeakerJohnson is going to try and torpedo BOTH of the key privacy reforms to FISA he supported before becoming Speaker? Do I have that right?”
Sean Davis, the cofounder of the Federalist, wrote, “Mike Johnson is the regime’s court eunuch. Whatever the regime demands, he provides. The FBI gets a new HQ, and the irreparably corrupt Deep State gets to keep spying on you without a warrant.”
During a Rules Committee hearing, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) spoke about the need for a warrant requirement for Section 702 to serve as a check against abuse:
House Rules CommitteeSean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
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