Speaker Mike Johnson, at a news conference following the government funding vote on Wednesday night, said he spoke to Senate Majority Leader John Thune about his opposition to the Senate phone record provision that was tucked into the funding package.
The provision allows senators to sue the government if their phone records are investigated without notifying them.
Eight Republican senators had their phone records subpoenaed by special counsel Jack Smith as part of his investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The provision would allow them to seek hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.
“We’ve had a great working relationship and a good friendship. He’s a trustworthy, honest broker, and that’s why I was so surprised when we found out about that provision,” Johnson said of Thune. “I was very angry about it. I was and a lot of my members called me.”
“I think he [Thune] regretted the way it was done,” Johnson added. “And we had an honest conversation about that. I didn’t ask him for any commitment at that time because I had a lot on my plate today.”
He reiterated that the House will vote on a standalone bill to repeal the provision in the Senate bill early next week under suspension, which requires a two-thirds majority.
“I think that was way out of line. I don’t think that was a smart thing… and the House is going to reverse — we are going to repeal that, and I’m going to expect our colleagues in the Senate to do the same thing,” he said.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller and Fritz Farrow
