With a big nudge from the chaos candidate, the House Republican clown caucus kneecaps its hand- picked Squeaker of the House (again):
A
small faction of House Republicans is once again blocking key
legislation and posing a critical test of Speaker Mike Johnson’s ability
to hold on to his gavel.
And
their actions threw the House once more into chaos, as Republicans
sniped among themselves and some far-right members threatened to let
funding for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — a post-9/11
measure that strengthened the surveillance powers of U.S. intelligence
services — expire on April 19.
Nineteen
far-right members on Wednesday opposed a procedural hurdle known as a
rule, preventing FISA and three other proposals from being debated and
ultimately voted on this week.
Hard-liners
had telegraphed that they would sink the procedural vote if the House
Rules Committee did not include a change to the legislation to reshape
how those services surveil malicious foreign actors, by ensuring that
they don’t spy on U.S. citizens swept up in the communications-gathering
without a warrant.
And
they may have been emboldened by a Wednesday morning social media post
from former president Donald Trump decrying the FISA law.
“KILL FISA, IT WAS ILLEGALLY USED AGAINST ME, AND MANY OTHERS. THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN!!!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump supporters falsely claim that without reforms, the “weaponized” Justice Department under President Biden will continue to target Trump and other conservatives. Spy agencies, however, do not have authority to surveil U.S. citizens under FISA.
Asked
whether Trump’s influence is hurting the reauthorization process,
Johnson (R-La.) told reporters, “I’ll just say that it’s never helpful
for the majority party to take down its own rules.”... (our emphasis)
MAGAt clowns are only interested in government as performance. They're not serious (or even sentient) people. If FISA lapses, so what if it allows "malicious foreign actors" to operate in conjunction with U.S. citizens, amirite?! After all, it's their cult leader, the Malignant Loser, who has and will benefit from such connections, and whose lasting hostility to intelligence agencies stems from their reporting on his Russian collusion during and after the 2016 campaign. Of course, he'll be happy to support FISA if he gets back into power because he'd use it exactly as he projects it being used against him -- to "spy" on those he targets for retribution.
So, the least productive, most chaotic Congress in American history will continue to go its un- American way until they're voted out, an outcome that's increasingly likely and is to be welcomed come November.
(Image: the performing brayer and the Squeaker)
