Congress must conduct a full investigation into the Biden administration's spying campaign on Republican senators, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Newsmax on Thursday.
Partisan actors inside government are still working to conceal critical information from lawmakers and the American public, Johnson warned on "National Report."
Johnson reacted to the announcement earlier this week the FBI under the Biden administration conducted "toll record analysis" — a form of communications metadata — on several GOP lawmakers, including Johnson, surrounding Jan. 6, 2021 and the debate over certifying the presidential election results.
Johnson said he believes Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department are committed to uncovering the truth — but they are up against bureaucrats determined to keep it hidden.
"I have faith they're absolutely dedicated to do so, but they don't know what they don't know," Johnson said. "They don't know what documents actually exist."
Johnson said entrenched partisans within federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies remain intent on protecting themselves.
"I do know there are still partisans burrowed into those agencies that are going to do everything they can to hide it from them," he said. "This is going to be a very difficult task."
He pointed to Bondi's testimony this week as evidence that Congress has to get involved.
"During that hearing, when she was asked specific questions about this, she would always say, 'Well, I can't talk about it,'" Johnson noted. "That's exactly the point I'm making."
Johnson said the only way to restore trust is through a comprehensive, transparent investigation aimed at uncovering every relevant document and witness.
"We need a rigorous internal investigation for the purpose of turning the documents and witnesses over to Congress — over to the American public," Johnson said. "That's the number one thing that we have to do. This has to be fully exposed."
Johnson also addressed why his name was on the list of Republicans targeted by former special counsel Jack Smith.
"I wasn't surprised I was on the list, because I've been a thorn in the side of the FBI and Department of Justice now for at least a decade," Johnson said.
He cited recent reporting suggesting that Smith's indictment of President Donald Trump might have prompted outreach to certain senators. But Johnson said that explanation, if true, still fails to justify the surveillance.
"Regardless of what the reason was, there was no justification for it," Johnson said. "We haven't been told the predicate of this at all. That's all the information we need to understand — and the American people need to understand."
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