Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) criticized his colleagues in the U.S. Senate for adding in a provision to the government funding bill that allows several senators to sue the federal government for spying on their phone records.
The FBI revealed last month that during the Biden administration, Special Prosecutor Jack Smith’s team tracked the private communications and call records of nearly a dozen GOP lawmakers, including Tuberville.
At the last minute, language was added in the continuing resolution that allows Tuberville and the other senators involved to be able to sue the federal government.
“It was put in our clean CR at the last moment,” Johnson told reporters Thursdays.
“I’m just being honest. I’m very transparent with you. I was very angry about it. I was. And a lot of my members called me and said, ‘Did you know about it?’ We had no idea that was dropped in at the last minute. And I did not appreciate that, nor did most of the House members. Many of them are very angry about that. So we will be bringing that up. We’ll probably pass it on suspension early next week, and we’ll send it over to the Senate.”
The House voted 222-209 to approve the CR. President Donald Trump’s signed the bill Wednesday night, formally ending the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history.
The language in the legislation that Johnson was reacting to states, “[A]ny senator whose Senate data, or the Senate data of whose Senate office, has been acquired, subpoenaed, searched, accessed, or disclosed in violation of this section may bring a civil action against the United States if the violation was committed by an officer, employee, or agent of the United States or of any federal department or agency.”
Johnson said he hopes the Senate will follow the House’s lead next week and pass the suspension on the provision.
“I had a conversation with Leader Thune early this morning about it. I think he regretted the way it was done, and we had an honest conversation about that. I didn’t ask him for any commitment at that time, because I had a lot on my plate today, and I’ve been busy ever since that conversation we had early this morning, but I’m going to speak as truthfully to him as I am to all of you and tell you that I think that was way out of line,” Johnson said. “I don’t think that was a smart thing to do. I think it was the right thing to do, and the House is going to reverse it. We’re going to repeal that, and I’m going to expect our colleagues in the Senate to do the same thing.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
