Deal to end US shutdown would also allow some Republican senators to seek $500,000 for January 6 probe

WASHINGTON, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Legislation moving through Congress that would end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history would also allow eight Republican senators to seek hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages for alleged privacy violations stemming from the Biden administration's investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

The bill, which passed the Senate on Monday, includes a clause that would allow lawmakers whose phone records were subpoenaed as part of that probe to sue the Justice Department for damages.

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The legislation retroactively makes it illegal in most cases to obtain a senator's phone data without disclosure, and allows those whose records were obtained to sue the Justice Department for $500,000 per violation, along with attorneys' fees and costs. The Justice Department could opt to settle the lawsuits, rather than fight them in court.

"We will not rest until justice is served and those who were involved in this weaponization of government are held accountable," Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, one of those whose records were seized, said in a statement.

Blackburn and the other seven senators - Lindsey Graham, Bill Hagerty, Josh Hawley, Dan Sullivan, Tommy Tuberville, Ron Johnson, Cynthia Lummis - all voted for the bill.

Democrats said the bill allows certain Republicans to get hefty payouts from U.S. taxpayers.

"Not a cent for health care, but Republicans wrote in a corrupt cash bonus of at least $500k each," Democratic Senator Patty Murray wrote on social media.

The records were part of Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation into President Donald Trump’s effort to overturn his loss of the 2020 election to his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden.

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Republican Senators Include Provision in Shutdown Bill That DOJ Cannot Subpoena Senators Phone Records – You/Me, No Such Protection

November 10, 2025 | Sundance

This is so perfectly Republican.

Republican senators have slipped a provision into the Continuing Resolution bill to re-open government, that forbids the DOJ or Judicial branch from subpoenas targeting their phone records. The Senate will be protected from abuses to the 4th amendment, but you and me – no such luck.

Additionally, as further evidence to the structural priorities of the professional Republicans, if the legislative provision is violated, each instance of violation will result in a $500,000 payment to the senator. Go figure.

WASHINGTON DC – Senate Republicans secured a provision in the bipartisan, shutdown-ending government funding package that could award senators hundreds of thousands of dollars for having their phone records collected without their knowledge as part of a Biden-era investigation.
[…] It was tucked into the legislative branch spending measure for fiscal year 2026, part of a three-bill “minibus” of appropriations measures that Senators were set to vote on Monday night alongside a continuing resolution to fund the government through Jan. 30. The House is expected to clear the package for President Donald Trump’s signature as early as Wednesday.
[…] The provision states that electronic services providers must notify a Senate office if the provider receives a request to disclose the data from that senator, or senator’s office. Moreover, the legislative language stipulates that the provider cannot be barred from notifying the senate office under a court order, though that notification may be delayed in the event the senator in question is under criminal investigation.
[…] This portion of the legislative branch appropriations bill also appears to provide a cash bonus for those Senators who were targeted by Smith’s probe. If the provision included in the bill is violated, the Senator can sue the federal government, and if the lawmaker succeeds in the case, the person will be awarded $500,000 or more for each violation by the government. (read more)

Don’t forget, in the last FISA-702 reauthorization, Congress also forbade any member of the legislative branch from being subject to the illegal use of the NSA surveillance system.

Congress is exempt from the FISA abuse they authorize on Americans, and Congress is exempt from subpoenas against their phone records that are authorized against Americans.

Seriously folks, we just cannot make this stuff up.

Sacking the treasury.

Are you so unaware that you don't know about the criminal use of government agencies by Obam/Jarrett/Comey/Brennan/etc. to spy on their political opponents?

This ain't about getting anything free.

This is about proving in a court of law that the Democrat machine was committing crimes.

Do you think that might be something important?

If we don't put a bunch of them in prison, they are going to come back and put us in death camps.

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