Speaker Mike Johnson, at a information convention following the federal government funding vote on Wednesday evening, mentioned he spoke to Senate Majority Chief John Thune about his opposition to the Senate phone record provision that was tucked into the funding package deal.
The supply permits senators to sue the federal government if their telephone data are investigated with out notifying them.
Eight Republican senators had their telephone data subpoenaed by particular counsel Jack Smith as a part of his investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The supply would enable them to hunt a whole lot of hundreds of {dollars} in damages.
“We have had an incredible working relationship and a great friendship. He is a reliable, trustworthy dealer, and that is why I used to be so shocked once we discovered about that provision,” Johnson mentioned of Thune. “I used to be very indignant about it. I used to be and a whole lot of my members known as me.”
“I feel he [Thune] regretted the best way it was performed,” Johnson added. “And we had an trustworthy dialog about that. I did not ask him for any dedication at the moment as a result of I had quite a bit on my plate as we speak.”
He reiterated that the Home will vote on a standalone invoice to repeal the supply within the Senate invoice early subsequent week underneath suspension, which requires a two-thirds majority.
“I feel that was approach out of line. I do not assume that was a sensible factor… and the Home goes to reverse — we’re going to repeal that, and I will anticipate our colleagues within the Senate to do the identical factor,” he mentioned.
-ABC Information’ Lauren Peller and Fritz Farrow
