House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is demanding the removal of acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte from his post in exchange for supporting an extension of a government spy tool set to lapse this week.When asked Monday if there was any scenario he would support an extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Jeffries gave reporters an unequivocal “no.”“Reversing the Bill Pulte appointment is a starting point, not an ending point,” Jeffries said. “It’s a step in the right direction, because it reverses something that is clearly out of bounds, unacceptable, and cannot be allowed to occur.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told reporters he did not believe that reversing Pulte’s appointment was a “necessary requirement of passing FISA,” and that anyone calling for it in exchange for an extension of the spy tool is “playing with a dangerous situation.”
Democratic support will be crucial to getting an extension of the government spy program across the finish line. Over 90 House Democrats, including Jeffries, crossed party lines to support a short-term extension back in April. That extension is set to lapse on June 12, and without Democratic support for another deal, Johnson will have a difficult path in getting an extension passed on the House floor given opposition from GOP hard-liners.
