Rep. Victoria Spartz on FISA renewal: 'Our job is to protect rights of Americans'

Section 7. O2 is indispensable in keeping Americans safe from a whole barrage of fast moving foreign threats. It is crucial to identifying terrorists in the homeland working with or inspired by a rogues gallery of foreign terrorist organizations who have publicly called for attacks against our country. That was FBI Director Christopher Wray testifying about the importance of FISA Section 7O2 during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing yesterday. Multiple lawmakers telling Fox that there is a new plan now to pass the FISA reauthorization bill. They’ll try to vote on that FISA bill again today. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan told me yesterday he wants to see a warrant requirement for the Seven O2 program. Watch. Putting more regulations on the FBI on how they searched the Seven O 2 database is not enough. You have to go to a separate and equal branch of government. You have to go to the judicial branch and get the warrant to do so. And we even provide exceptions. We say if it’s a if it’s an emergency situation, imminent threat to the safety of the country, you can do the search. But short of that, go get a warrant. That’s how our constitution works. Joining me now is Indiana Congresswoman Victoria Sparks, a member of the House Judiciary and Republican Study Committee. She’s also the commissioner of the US Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Congresswoman, thanks very much for being here. Your reaction to the fight over FISA, Where do you want to see this go? Well listen Marie, unfortunately this sanctions has been abused and use a loophole to do enormous collections on Americans. And I may be I would make your viewers feel a little bit better that this current version will Congress is trying to authorize to violate their First Amendment rights not for five years but only for two years. I mean it’s truly ridiculous and no one is even auditing what they’re collecting and what they’re retaining. The only good thing and that’s what I think Jim Jordan point out we fought and we’re going to have judicial committee really for hard on that to have an amendment on the floor if FBI is running query on U.S. citizens on Americans they will be required to do to obtain a warrant And that is something I would encourage your viewers and all Americans to pay attention how their representative are going to be voted on that because we’re the only reason we created here to protect their rights. But this has been used, a complete loophole and abuse and national security use here to really, you know, to abuse constitutional rights of Americans. So what? What does Christopher Wray say when this issue is raised with him That the FBI has abused FISA time and time again against political enemies of the Democrats. They did it to Trump and his officials in 2016 and well into his presidency in 2017. What is Christopher Wray’s answer? That the FBI’s abuse of this FISA allowance is the reason that you he’s getting so much pushback on the reauthorization. Well, listen, Maria is the same store all the time. Every time they say, yeah, we acknowledge we’ll do better, we’ll do better. And they do it again and again because no matter they’re done. No one ever got punished. No matter what survey what they did to Trump. You know in 2016, no one went to jail. They all have amnesia and they all, you know, and I mean nobody get a punish. So until there are consequences they will continue tell us all this lies to us. But we should really our job is not to worry what they have to say. Our job is to protect rights of Americans and there is nothing wrong. It’s actually our job to err always on the side of the constitutional amendments. And I think you know there is actually it’s something that force amendments. It’s something that’s very important issue. And I think this is the very, really crucial vote. And if it is going to be authorized without it, you know, we allow lawlessness continue and FBI, you know, going to continue intimidate and survey Americans. Wow, what? What a state of affairs. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson speaking with White House negotiators about a new Ukraine aid package. Congressman, I want to get your take on this because the Journal recently wrote a piece about you titled the only US lawmaker Born in Ukraine is now skeptical of more aid. Tell us about it. Well, listen, Maria, I will. Two years ago I said we don’t have never ending money and we don’t and Ukrainians also don’t have never ending lives in any war. You have to have a strategy aligned. I mean we took down post for Soviet Union because we had energy strategy, economic strategy and it cannot be only one with weapons. And unfortunately Biden likes to have slush funds. You know, then he can spend whatever all over the world without any accountability to American people and neglect internal issue, domestic issue like our border. So I think we Congress need to put stop to it. You know, I understand the importance and really what’s happening right now for for not to lose to China, Russia and Iran that advancing rapidly around the world. But there is, you know, leak very weak leadership and lack of action and strategy, just grandiose statements. It’s not what is really going to deter grass. So I think we need to be more serious and probably do some lethal aid on loan, you know, at least for Ukrainian military to hold the ground and then hopefully we’ll have better leaders to try to do something. But it’s disgraceful what’s happening. No. Do you believe that the aid is being put to where we think it’s being put? I mean, do we have documentation on where this aid is going? Why not just send weapons? That’s what I said. And why don’t we do it long? We passed land lease two years ago you know and was unanimous in the Senate. It has better accountability and we really should always hold governments like Ukraine owe to us. You know we didn’t do that. And when I pass an amendment ask I want to know which countries and companies are getting that aid. I pass it through in DEA and the Senate took it out. They do not want to tell us And if they don’t want to tell the American people, you know we should really get much tougher on that because it’s a serious war and this is our responsibility. When I criticize them, you know, you know what they dragged me through Mart? That I pro Kremlin. Because congresswoman dares to ask accountability. No, listen, our grandchildren will be paying for that and we need to make sure that it is in our national interest and we need to make sure that we don’t have never end in wars because this is they end usually not very bad, not very good. We saw what’s happening after 2 trillion spent in Afghanistan. Well, you can’t just keep sending money without recognizing the debt that this country faces, $36 trillion. Joe Borelli, jump in here. Yeah, you just made it a very effective case about maybe pumping the brakes on aid, or at the very least of being deliberate and transparent about where the money’s going. But there’s a clear divide within your conference, and some have even drawn a red line. So how vulnerable is Speaker Johnson if he goes forward with the aid package he’s proposing? Well, listen, it’s a combination of saying a lot of my conservatives are upset that we’re now, you know, you know, governing through suspensions than with Democrats. I I have to be fair. It’s, you know, he inherited a lot of difficult situations from previous speakers and private Congresses and we have a very tight majority. So from my perspective, you know, at this point to try to deal with another speaker, it’s not going to make any difference. We need to find how we can hold the ground and probably have a better president next year and called the house, you know, but some of my colleagues, I mean they’re ultimately very upset and it’s just accumulation and feista and a lot of bills and now Ukraine. So it’s all together and it’s a potential could be a risk that some of them might decide that they want to have, you know different speaker. They’re very upset that we don’t go through the rules and but it’s hard, I understand that well, it’s because you haven’t been able to secure the border. I mean this is the only thing that Republicans have been talking about now for over a year, secure the border. But your colleagues on the left will not do it well. And I think the challenge is I, I feel the same way. We could leverage, we should leverage this 8. I mean, we should have leveraged our appropriations and say, you know what, we’re going to pick a hill to die on and it’s going to be a border. We’re going to take that hill or we’re going to shut down the whole government because this is a national security issue #1 for the country. It’s disgraceful, It’s dangerous what’s happening. We can do the same with the aid. But unfortunately, there is a lot of talk, but people are not willing to dig in. So I understand why my colleagues upset. I probably belong to the same group of colleagues and I didn’t like what Kevin didn’t do and was very vocal. But I just, you know, probably wooden at this point, but I hope he will hold the ground, you know, and maybe at least we’ll do something on the border. Still Alright, Congressman, good to see you. Thanks very much, Victoria. Sports.