The repeal of the provision that Senate Leader Thune put into the government funding bill allowing Senators to sue the government, which is now the law of the land, was blocked in the Senate by Lindsey Graham.
He’s made clear he intends to sue the government for millions after it was revealed that Jack Smith spied on the phone records if he and other lawmakers.
In fact, Graham wants the provision expanded to House members, so they can sue as well.
Here’s more from Bloomberg:
Senator Lindsey Graham blocked an attempt to repeal a controversial provision tucked into the bill ending the US government shutdown that could reap him and several other Republican senators millions by allowing them to sue the Justice Department over telephone record seizures during the 2020 election interference probe.
Graham, one of President Donald Trump’s staunchest allies in the Senate, told Fox News on Monday he planned to sue for “tens of millions” of dollars from it, a windfall far exceeding his $174,000 annual salary. The South Carolinian, who is up for reelection next year, later told reporters he plans to keep some of the money and also intends to sue Verizon for cooperating with the investigation.
“The idea that I am backing off and am going to let this go, forget that,” Graham said Thursday on the Senate floor.
The foiled attempt to get a unanimous agreement followed a 426 to 0 House vote to repeal the provision, which would have provided a $500,000 payment for each infraction incurred during a special counsel investigation. Senate Republicans have defended the language despite mounting pressure to repeal it after the House vote.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday Republicans are “socializing” a new approach on the lawsuits. Graham said he would like to expand the provision, which currently only applies to senators. Other conservatives have said it’s unfair that senators be the only ones to benefit.
Normally, if a bill is blocked from getting unanimous consent, it forces a floor vote. I would guess, assuming Thune really wants the bill repealed, that is the next logical step to bypass Graham’s blocking of the bill.