Former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr recently expressed his disappointment toward former President Donald Trump’s calls to “kill FISA” before a vote was held to expand key surveillance powers in Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
The U.S. House recently failed to approve an extension to the surveillance powers in Section 702, primarily because of pushback from Republicans in the chamber. Before the vote was conducted, the former president urged lawmakers to “kill FISA,” claiming that it was improperly used to spy on his presidential campaign.
While speaking to The Hill, Barr said, “I think it’s crazy and reckless to not move forward with FISA. It’s our principal tool protecting us from terrorist attacks. We’re living through a time where those threats have never been higher, so it’s blinding us, it’s blinding our allies.”
“I think President Trump’s opposition seems to have stemmed from personal pique rather than any logic and reason. The provision that he objects to has nothing to do with the provision that’s on the floor,” Barr added.
Shortly before the House held the vote, Trump took to Truth Social, where he urged lawmakers to oppose the expansion of section 702.
“KILL FISA, IT WAS ILLEGALLY USED AGAINST ME, AND MANY OTHERS. THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN!!! DJT” the former president wrote on the platform.
Before the vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) agreed with Trump’s contention that FISA was improperly used but claimed reforms were needed to fix the law, according to Just the News.
Bill Barr rages over Trump's call to 'kill FISA' | Just The News https://t.co/KHP24o3VYt
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) April 10, 2024
Johnson had praised the latest version of the bill in a letter to his fellow lawmakers, saying it contains many “specific reforms,” such as new measures to diminish the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and “institute unprecedented transparency across the FISA process.”
“If our bill fails, we will be faced with an impossible choice and can expect the Senate to jam us with a clean extension that includes no reforms at all,” the House speaker wrote before the vote. “That is clearly an unacceptable option.”
When a vote to reauthorize FISA was held in February 2024, multiple House Republicans described the privacy amendments as non-negotiable. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) spoke to Politico at the time, saying, “We have to have these amendments. Like, there’s no way we’re not going to have them.”
