{"id":2613320,"date":"2026-06-11T08:26:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T12:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fisa-spat-puts-johnsons-alliance-with-trump-to-the-test\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T08:29:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T12:29:24","slug":"fisa-spat-puts-johnsons-alliance-with-trump-to-the-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fisa-spat-puts-johnsons-alliance-with-trump-to-the-test\/","title":{"rendered":"FISA spat puts Johnson\u2019s alliance with Trump to the test"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffisa-spat-puts-johnsons-alliance-with-trump-to-the-test%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2613320&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A fast-growing fight over teh federal government\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/spy-powers-at-risk-as-trump-and-gop-eye-leverage-for-save-act\/\" title=\"... at risk as Trump and GOP eye leverage for SAVE Act\">foreign spy powers<\/a> is testing how directly house Speaker Mike Johnson can influence President Donald Trump. Johnson-whose speakership is tied to Trump-has met with the White House twice this week to resolve a stalled effort to renew Section 702 of the FISA law, which permits foreign surveillance without a warrant.<\/p>\n<p>The negotiations collapsed after Democrats objected to trump\u2019s choice of Bill Pulte as <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >interim intelligence chief<\/a>. With Section 702 set to expire Friday, Johnson\u2019s pressure campaign has not broken the impasse, and Trump has accelerated Pulte\u2019s start date. Democrats say they will not vote for an extension unless trump changes the pick, and they view Pulte as lacking the necessary national security experience.<\/p>\n<p>There are signs of potential movement: Sen. Mark Warner indicated he would support an extension if Pulte were replaced by deputy intelligence chief Aaron Lukas. Still, Trump has publicly urged Congress toward a short-term patch and reportedly isn\u2019t willing to meet Democrats\u2019 demands, leaving the program\u2019s fate uncertain. Johnson is pushing toward a Thursday vote, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune is taking a less hands-on role in advising Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this current gridlock,the article portrays Johnson and Trump\u2019s relationship as unusually close-more coordinated than Thune\u2019s approach-bolstered by frequent interaction,even if disagreements sometimes occur. White House officials downplayed the idea that the FISA dispute signals a larger rift among Republican leaders.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A bitter fight over the federal government\u2019s spy powers is quickly becoming a test of how much sway House Speaker <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-johnson\/\">Mike Johnson<\/a> (R-LA) has with President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson, a close ally who owes his speakership to Trump\u2019s vote of confidence, has traveled to the White House twice this week to resolve a dispute over Section 702 of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fisa\" type=\"link\" id=\"washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fisa\">Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act<\/a>. The authority, which allows foreign surveillance without a warrant, was on track to pass the Senate, but the deal fell apart last week when Democrats objected to Trump appointing Bill Pulte as his interim intelligence chief.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4603630\/fisa-spat-mike-johnson-trump-alliance-test\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>FISA spat puts Mike Johnson\u2019s alliance with Trump to the test<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4603476\/iran-war-negotiations-trump-preference-diplomacy\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>How Iran wore down Trump\u2019s preference for diplomacy<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4603313\/bisignano-trump-ssa-insolvency-warning\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Bisignano champions Trump\u2019s SSA amid insolvency warnings: \u2018Best overall performance in SSA\u2019s history\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson\u2019s outreach has so far failed to break the impasse. Congress is at risk of letting Section 702 expire on Friday, and if anything, the president has doubled down on Pulte, moving up the start date of his appointment to next week. But Democrats plan to withhold the votes to pass an extension until the president gives some sort of concession, viewing Pulte as inadequate given his lack of national security experience.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Wednesday, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said he would support an extension if Trump replaced Pulte with deputy intelligence chief Aaron Lukas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump lavished Johnson with praise on Wednesday when he attended a bill signing at the White House.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI want to thank Speaker Mike Johnson, he\u2019s incredible,\u201d Trump said. \u201cMike, you\u2019re doing an incredible job, and not a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-hillsdale-college-president-larry-arnn-nih-controls-funding-of-health-research-backs-studies-that-reinforce-their-power\/\" title=\"Exclusive \u2014 Hillsdale College ... Larry Arnn: NIH Controls Funding of Health Research, Backs &#039;Studies that Reinforce Their Power&#039;\">big majority<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The president also posted an assurance that he\u2019s looking for a \u201cpermanent ODNI Nominee with experience in National Security\u201d and urged Congress to back a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congress-skirts-nationwide-economic-catastrophe-after-last-minute-agreement-to-lift-debt-ceiling\/\" title=\"Congress Skirts Nationwide Economic Catastrophe After Last-Minute Agreement To Lift Debt Ceiling\">short-term extension<\/a> of FISA after he spoke with Johnson. Trump is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2026\/06\/09\/congress\/donald-trump-fisa-pulte-00954796\">reportedly<\/a> not convinced Republicans should meet Democrats\u2019 FISA demands, however, leaving the fate of the program in limbo.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats, for their part, are unwilling to budge \u2014 even for a brief patch lasting into early July. Instead, Johnson is barreling toward a Thursday vote to extend the Section 702 authority and hoping that some compromise can be worked out, or that Democrats will back down in the face of Republican pressure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has been letting Johnson take the lead on advising Trump. His relationship with the president has become rockier over the SAVE America Act and tactical disagreements on the campaign trail, butut even before then, Thune has not gone to the same lengths as Johnson to ingratiate himself with Trump.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thune spoke with the president last week, but not about FISA, and declined an invitation from the White House to attend the bill signing on Wednesday. It\u2019s not unusual for Thune to be represented at White House events by Senate Majority Whip <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-barrasso\/\">John Barrasso<\/a> (R-WY), who attended in his place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump, a real estate mogul and former reality TV star, could not be more different in style compared to Johnson, a clean-cut and deeply religious Southern Baptist. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But since Trump\u2019s return to the White House last year, the pair have been able to keep Republicans unified in the House despite their narrow majority. Johnson speaks with the president more frequently than Thune and leans on him more often to end disputes from rebellious members of his conference.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s the best relationship between a president and a speaker since Denny Hastert and George W. Bush,\u201d John Feehery, the onetime press secretary to former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cThe president relies on the speaker to move his agenda, and the speaker relies on the president to get him the votes. It is a totally symbiotic relationship. They are joined at the hip and necessarily so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thune, by contrast, earned his role as majority leader in 2024 without the president\u2019s help, and though he has aligned himself with the president on most issues, Thune is more willing to say \u201cno\u201d to Trump when Senate Republicans lack the votes to advance some of his demands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI), who, as a member of House leadership, is familiar with Johnson\u2019s relationship with Trump, dismissed the idea that Johnson is simply a \u201cyes-man\u201d to Trump and suggested the two do disagree from time to time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDisagreement isn\u2019t disloyalty, and I think the speaker does a really good job of representing the House in terms of what we can do, what we can\u2019t do, what\u2019s feasible, what\u2019s probable versus possible,\u201d McClain told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cThey have a very open, honest conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spokesperson for Johnson added that the speaker \u201cis proud to have a strong and productive working relationship with the President.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe entire point of unified government is that voters expect the party in charge to work efficiently and effectively together to solve the nation\u2019s problems,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In terms of the current gridlock over FISA, the White House downplayed the idea that there was a rift emerging with either Thune or Johnson.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4601633\/melania-trump-own-path-second-term\/\"><strong>MELANIA TRUMP FORGES HER OWN PATH IN TRUMP\u2019S SECOND TERM<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe White House and President Trump have enjoyed working closely with Speaker Johnson, Leader Thune and congressional Republicans to deliver on many important promises to the American people,\u201d said White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson, naming passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe look forward to continuing these close relationships and fulfilling President Trump\u2019s priorities that Americans elected him to enact,\u201d Jackson added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A bitter fight over spy powers is testing how much control Mike Johnson has over Trump<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2652,"featured_media":2613321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/johnson-trump-alliance-fisa.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[19971,4162,36369,3634,38710],"class_list":["post-2613320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-fisa","tag-johnson","tag-political-tensions","tag-trump","tag-u-s-congress"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/johnson-trump-alliance-fisa.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2652"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2613320"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2613325,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613320\/revisions\/2613325"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2613321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2613320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2613320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2613320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}