In a typical bipartisan fashion of backstabbing the conservative Americans, the Congress recently passed the reauthorization of the federal agencies to spy on citizens without a warrant. The victory for the federal establishment comes as confirmation of the government’s continued overreach against the ideal of American liberty.
On April 12, the FISA reauthorization bill H.B. 7888 was passed in the House with the collusion of establishment Republicans. Three days later, the bill was brought back to a vote on the motion to reconsider it by Florida Republicans Laurel Lee and Anna Paulina Luna. Thanks to the continued collusion of 117 Republicans voting with Democrats, the legislation easily passed the House. Within days, it passed the Senate with 30 Republican Senators voting for it along with Democrats. Biden instantly signed it into law – as predictable.
Reauthorization of this bill means federal intelligence agencies can spy on Americans without requiring a warrant, hence the term “warrantless snooping” used by The Register to characterize the authority the bill gives the federal agencies. Conservatives opposed to such surveillance powers of the feds see this measure as a continuation of the infamous Obama years of spying on citizens and politically targeting people who advocate civil rights and free speech.
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, who exposed the Obama administration’s warrantless surveillance in 2013 and had to flee the country to stay safe, took to Twitter/X to express his concern for Americans’ loss of privacy rights and internet freedom when the bill passed the House.
The decision to negotiate and allow this bill for a vote on the House floor also brought Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson into the crosshairs of criticism by what legacy media calls the “far right.” On his show, conservative commentator Charlie Kirk asked Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky whether Speaker Johnson has been an imposter all along.
Speaker Johnson has come under fire as he suddenly shifted priorities and not only allowed FISA reauthorization bill for a vote in the House but also the $60 billion aid package for Ukraine within a week of the FISA legislation passing the House. Breitbart opined that Jonson essentially handed the House over to Democrats. Wendell Husebø wrote on Saturday (April 20):
In a string of recent betrayals by the Speaker–the recent government funding plan and last week’s reauthorization of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) without a requirement for warrants for surveillance on American citizens–this one stings America First conservatives even more.
President Trump, a victim of FBI’s political spying on Americans, was asked for a comment on Real America’s Voice about the FISA reauthorization. Trump said that he would scrap this authorization if it lacks the right checks and balances in case he gets back in the White House in November.