After publicly sparring with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) this week, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) claimed a win on the FBI accountability provision she has championed as part of the 2026 defense authorization bill.
Stefanik criticized her Republican caucus members and Johnson for “getting rolled” by Democrats, who are seeking to block a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act that would require the FBI to alert Congress if it plans to investigate candidates running for president or federal office. After Johnson said he did not know what she was referring to, Stefanik accused him of lying.
However, Stefanik gave an optimistic social media update early Wednesday morning, sharing what she called “great news!”
“After a productive discussion I had last night with President Trump and Speaker Johnson, the provision requiring Congressional disclosure when the FBI opens counterintelligence investigations into presidential and federal candidates seeking office will be included in the IAA/NDAA bill on the floor,” Stefanik said on X.
She has marketed the provision as a transparency and accountability measure to deter “illegal weaponization” within the FBI. She ridiculed the Crossfire Hurricane operation, which was part of former FBI Director James Comey’s Russia investigation.
“This language is even more essential in light of the continued weaponization of the federal government evidenced by the sweeping Arctic Frost wiretapping scandal and the recent illegal leaks of Steve Witkoff’s conversations with foreign counterparts,” Stefanik added on X.
Johnson explained on Tuesday that the provision was likely sidelined because the leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary committees had not agreed to include it, according to a Politico report.
STEFANIK INTENSIFIES ATTACK ON JOHNSON OVER NDAA AS HE SAYS IT’S NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM
“This is a significant legislative win delivered against the illegal weaponization of the deep state. And, of course, while this is an important step, there is so much more work to do,” Stefanik wrote.
Neither Johnson’s office nor the White House responded to the Washington Examiner‘s requests for comment on the call with Stefanik.