'I'm not gonna get rolled': Controversial spying law reignites infighting among House Republicans

[BumRushDaShow]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by JudyM (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: USA Today

Published 5:27 a.m. ET April 10, 2024 | Updated 5:27 a.m. ET April 10, 2024


WASHINGTON – A controversial spying law is set to reignite tensions between House Republicans this week as conservative hardliners and members of the intelligence community fight over the scope of how the law should be reformed under a time crunch.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Authority Act, also called FISA, is set to expire on April 19, meaning time is running short for Congress to reauthorize the law. The sticking point lies in Section 702, which allows U.S. authorities to surveil communications of foreigners without a warrant.

Because those foreigners often contact Americans, their info is also swept up in data collection. As a result, the FBI can conduct searches on American data collected through the law without a warrant. Many conservatives have balked at the function and are now relentlessly pushing House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to reform FISA with a new warrant requirement for authorities to sift through data.

Section 702 has divided House Republicans into two warring factions. The law’s harshest critics are being led by the House Judiciary Committee, while the House Intelligence Committee is pushing to preserve the law, arguing it is essential to protect the nation. FISA's conservative antagonists want an amendment to include a warrant requirement. Opponents of that move say that a warrant requirement would effectively neuter the program and threaten national security.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/04/10/controversial-spying-law-fisa-reignites-house-republican-fights/73265085007/

[JT45242]

1. Republicans linked to Putin balk at renewing FISA (fixed it)

That's the real fixed and unspun headline.

I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that the group of 8 led by sen. Paul who spent July 4 in Moscow a few years back oppose this.

The coup caucus opposes it.

You know the people beholden to foreign interests in Russia, Saudi Arabia, or the UAE.

[PatSeg]

6. Yep

There are too many republicans who have plenty to hide these days. I find that rather ironic, as I remember when it would have been republicans who would be for any kind of surveillance, individual privacy be damned. Oops!

[NanaCat]

13. They only ever wanted to spy on liberals

And those 'uppity' women and brown people.

They never intended for the spying to be on them.

[Walleye]

2. Some of the Republicans don't want us to know when they are conspiring with Russians over the phone

[PatSeg]

7. Unbelievable that they hadn't thought of that

BEFORE they started to conspire with Russians. Putin must be having a good chuckle at their expense.

[Walleye]

12. That is amazing, they don't actually know how the government works

[Irish_Dem]

3. The GOP are Russian assets who want protection for their treason.

[riversedge]

4. This is NO way to run a country-this Constant pushing up deadlines to

pass a law!! Something has to give!!




.....'I'm not gonna get rolled'

In a letter to House Republicans last week, Johnson touted the new reforms “to rein in the FBI, increase accountability at the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), impose penalties for wrongdoing, and institute unprecedented transparency across the FISA process.”

The speaker warned that if the House can’t pass its own bill by the April 19 deadline, the Democratic-controlled Senate could use the deadline to its advantage and force the House to pass legislation that would include no reforms at all. It's an outcome Johnson described as “an unacceptable option.”

Section 702’s critics dismiss Johnson’s reasoning. Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D. told reporters Tuesday he has become frustrated with GOP leader for pushing legislation up against a deadline and forcing members to take tough votes with a lack of time.

“I’m not gonna get rolled,” Armstrong said.

It's not clear how conservatives will react to the bill when it is brought to the House floor. For example, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said he hasn't decided whether he would vote to allow debate on the House floor over the push. Ultraconservatives have often tanked procedural rule votes to freeze the lower chamber and express their displeasure with leadership.
Mike Turner, Chairman, House Permanent Select Committee, during the House Select Committee on Intelligence holding its 2024 Annual Threat Assessment in Washington.

Johnson plans to brief members and meet with various groups throughout the week to discuss the law and try to assuage concerns. The speaker so far has yet to publicly take a side with respect to a warrant requirement.

And the intra-party clash comes at a fraught time for the speaker, who is currently facing an existential threat to his job at the hands of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. The conservative lawmaker has taken steps to oust him from the speakership.

[mwb970]

5. One of our two political parties has become a Russia-loving religious cult centered on a traitor.

How did this happen?

[FakeNoose]

11. How? Money ... lots of it ... uncontrolled campaign donations ... to ONE party

[Midnight Writer]

8. Conservatives were all for the FISA court when they were surveilling Muslim connections.

But when they started surveilling suspicious communications between Russia and GOP operatives they decided it was an outrageous violation of their "Right To Privacy".

That's correct. The same "Right To Privacy" they seek to deny to women and LGBTQ folk.

Privacy Rights for me, but not for thee.

[Hotler]

9. If they have nothing to hide .......

reauthorize it. Are those cry bagging the most Putin assets?

[LeftInTX]

10. This country has gone to the dogs!

[JudyM]

14. Locking after an alert was reviewed by the forum hosts.

Post the latest news from reputable mainstream news websites and blogs. Important news of national interest only. No analysis or opinion pieces. No duplicates. News stories must have been published within the last 12 hours. Use the published title of the story as the title of the discussion thread.

This would be okay for reposting in E&OA or GD.