Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., says she has secured the inclusion of a key provision in the National Defense Authorization Act that would require the FBI to notify Congress when it opens a counterintelligence investigation into presidential and federal candidates seeking office.
"After a productive discussion I had last night with President [Donald] Trump and Speaker [Mike] Johnson, the provision requiring Congressional disclosure when the FBI opens counterintelligence investigations into presidential and federal candidates seeking office will be included in the IAA/NDAA bill on the floor," Stefanik wrote in a social media post Wednesday morning.
"This is a significant legislative win delivered against the illegal weaponization of the deep state. And, of course, while this is an important step, there is so much more work to do," she added.
Stefanik and Johnson publicly feuded over the provision, with Stefanik accusing Johnson of lying about the reason for not including it in the NDAA.
Stefanik, a senior member of both the House Intelligence and Armed Services committees, said she would vote against the NDAA for the first time in her political career if the provision remained stripped.
"Republicans have the House, Senate, and the White House, yet the deep state is alive and well with the Speaker getting rolled by House Dems attempting to block my provision to require Congressional disclosure when the FBI opens counterintelligence investigations into presidential and federal candidates seeking office," she said in a post on X Monday.
Johnson disputed Stefanik's claims on Tuesday, telling reporters: "I don't exactly know why Elise won't just call me. I texted her yesterday. ... I said, 'What are you talking about? This hasn't even made it to my level.'"
"I don't know why she's frustrated with me. I literally had nothing to do with it. But I'm happy to roll up my sleeves and help her."
He also said he supported the provision but argued it was removed because "the two chairs and the two rankers in both chambers did not agree."
The provision is a response to the Crossfire Hurricane investigation into whether people tied to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign were coordinating, knowingly or not, with Russia's election-interference effort. It ran from July 31, 2016, to May 17, 2017.
The probe shadowed Trump's presidency and fed the broader Russia inquiry that became Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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