A provision included in the spending package to fund the government will also help U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) get payback from the federal government for spying on him.
The FBI revealed last month that during the Biden administration, Special Prosecutor Jack Smith’s team tracked the private communications and call records of nearly a dozen GOP lawmakers, including Tuberville.
According to a report from the New York Times, language in the new continuing resolution would allow Tuberville and the other senators involved to be able to sue the federal government.
“[A]ny senator whose Senate data, or the Senate data of whose Senate office, has been acquired, subpoenaed, searched, accessed, or disclosed in violation of this section may bring a civil action against the United States if the violation was committed by an officer, employee, or agent of the United States or of any federal department or agency,” the language in the legislation states.
The provision is retroactive to 2022 and would allow the affected senators could sue for $500,000 on each claim.
The idea of suing Smith and the federal government over the spying scheme gained traction last month when one of the affected senators, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), said she planned to sue the former Special Council.
“We cannot find the predicate,” she argued.
“It is a violation of our first and fourth amendment rights, the separation of powers, the Stored Communications Act and the Speech and Debate Clause. And yes, the eight of us are looking at filing charges against the Biden FBI, the Biden DOJ and Jack Smith.”
The U.S. Senate-passed CR also ensures full-year military funding, a massive priority for Alabama, while keeping critical operations at agencies funded and ensuring federal workers receive back pay.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
