House Republicans want to hold U.S. intelligence agencies accountable after recent episodes that look like politically motivated use of power from the Trump-Russia probe to recent raids on Project Veritas.
The GOP conferences’ Future of American Freedoms task force, one of several task forces drafting policies for House Republicans, held a virtual roundtable Thursday to discuss agency practices, press freedom and the future of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor, joined the members as a special guest.
Mr. Turley said the threat to freedom of the press was underscored by the FBI’s recent investigation of right-wing media group Project Veritas after it obtained a diary that allegedly belonged to President Biden’s daughter.
“Everything about Project Veritas — the federal investigation — strikes me as not just curious but chilling and alarming,” Mr. Turley said.
The Justice Department’s probe into the group raises the question of how the Biden administration defines who is a journalist and has protected press freedoms, guaranteed under the First Amendment, he said.
“It does hit this issue of who is a journalist,” Mr. Turley said. “But what Project Veritas did is indistinguishable from what media organizations do on a daily basis. It received what was purported to be Ashley Biden’s diary. And in the diary, there was newsworthy content.”
Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican who leads the task force, raised concerns with the practices of FISA, the laws covering the government’s use of electronic surveillance.
He noted the bombshell 2019 report by DOJ Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz that found the FBI deceived a secret FISA court to obtain a warrant to spy on a Trump campaign official.
Mr. Jordan, who serves as the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, said these issues would come to the fore during the upcoming debate about reauthorizing Section 702 of the law, which permits the federal government to conduct targeted surveillance of foreigners outside of the U.S.
“I have real concerns about, not just that area, but all aspects of FISA,” Mr. Jordan said. “We know there’s a countless number of abuses that have taken place within the FISA court.”
A September 2021 Gallup poll found Americans’ trust in most federal agencies, including the FBI, has declined.
The poll of 1,005 U.S. adults found approval ratings for the FBI dropped by 13%. In 2019, 57% of Americans said the FBI was doing an excellent or good job, compared to 44% in 2021.
Republicans showed the largest drop in approval for the FBI, dropping support by 20%. In 2019, 46% of GOP voters said they thought the agency was doing a good job, compared to just 26% in 2021.
The poll was conducted between Sept. 1-17 and had an error margin of +/-4%.
The Future of American Freedoms task force was created last year by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, to develop policy solutions for government encroachment on Americans’ freedoms.
Other members of the task force including Reps. Carol Miller of West Virginia, Kat Cammack of Florida and Burgess Owens of Utah.
• Mica Soellner can be reached at msoellner@washingtontimes.com.
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