Senators Slip In $500,000 ‘Spy Clause’ to Protect Themselves—But Not the Americans Targeted by Their Own Government
In a stunning act of self-preservation, Senate Republicans quietly inserted a provision that allows each senator to sue the federal government for up to $500,000, if their private data or communications are seized by law enforcement without notice. The clause, designed to shield senators from the same FBI and Special Counsel Jack Smith investigations that swept up Trump allies and staff, gives them a pathway to free cash, but not ordinary Americans.
It’s obscene. Senators managed to create a taxpayer-funded mechanism to protect themselves from unlawful government surveillance, while the same body has done virtually nothing to protect the American people. Particularly those who were spied upon, prosecuted, and imprisoned after January 6 for what amounted to pretend political crimes.
Evidently, Senate Republicans can move mountains when the boot of government lands on their necks … but not yours.
A Hidden Clause with a Heavy Price Tag
According to Fox News and Politico, the Senate’s new protection scheme was tucked into the legislative branch appropriations section of the 1200 page resolution. The original CR was just 25 pages. So another question is, who came up with the 1175 new pages? Regardless, the new text empowers any Senator to sue the United States if any federal agency accesses or subpoenas their records without prior notice. Each senator can recover a minimum of $500,000 per violation, plus attorney fees, paid directly from taxpayer funds. Wouldn’t it be nice if an American Taxpayer could sue the Government when they are wrongfully targeted?
The provision, reportedly crafted under the direction of Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), requires federal agencies and communication providers to notify the senator’s office when a warrant or subpoena is issued. If the senator is under active criminal investigation, the notice may be delayed up to 60 days, otherwise, the agency must inform them immediately. Again, why is there no law that requires citizens to be notified when the Government snoops into their phone records?
The measure stems from revelations that Jack Smith’s office had secretly obtained communications records of several Republican senators during the post–January 6 investigations, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT). Both men were outraged when they discovered that their private data had been accessed without their knowledge.
The Speed of Self-Protection
The speed with which Congress acted to protect its own members is breathtaking. When senators felt the sting of unlawful surveillance, they mobilized almost overnight. A complex funding bill became the vehicle for a self-defense clause, guaranteeing cash settlements for those who dwell in the marble halls of the Capitol.
Meanwhile, ordinary Americans targeted by the government all the time. The January 6 defendants, parents labeled “domestic extremists” by the FBI, pro-life activists raided at dawn by armed agents, all remain without any recourse. Their bank accounts have been frozen, their communications monitored, their reputations destroyed, and their livelihoods ruined.
No senator has slipped in a provision to reimburse them for wrongful seizures, lost wages, or reputational harm. There is no taxpayer-funded clause for Americans falsely accused of “insurrection” for walking through open Capitol doors.
When the government spies on the powerful, Congress writes a law.
When it spies on the powerless, Congress writes a press release.
The Hypocrisy Exposed
This “spy clause,” as some insiders are calling it, exposes an old truth about Washington: accountability is only a crisis when the wrong people are targeted. Senators who had their communications quietly accessed were outraged at what they called “weaponization of law enforcement.” Yet those same senators have watched in silence as ordinary citizens—some elderly veterans, others young mothers—were prosecuted and imprisoned for little more than political expression.
The hypocrisy is galling.
Sen. Cruz, for instance, was reportedly incensed that Smith’s team might have viewed his phone records. Yet where was the outrage when the same Department of Justice placed January 6 protesters in solitary confinement for months before trial? Where was the clause protecting them from prosecutorial overreach, data seizures, and surveillance without notice?
If lawmakers can slip in a half-million-dollar self-compensation fund in a 1,200-page spending bill, why can’t they slip in something meaningful for the American people—like, a permanent codification of President Trump’s executive orders that defended free speech, restrained federal power, and protected law enforcement officers from political purges?
January 6 patriots, most of whom were peaceful protesters caught in an entrapment scheme, have been stripped of due process, spied upon through geofencing and mass-data dragnets, and punished under laws written for foreign terrorists. When senators were spied upon, they get compensated.
The lesson is unmistakable. Washington will protect itself … and doesn’t give a damn about you.
A Final Thought
The Senate’s “spy clause” is more than a budget gimmick; it’s a kickback. It reflects a Congress that moves swiftly to guard its own interests but drags its feet when Americans cry out for justice. It proves, once again, that in Washington, the rules change depending on who’s being targeted. Senators get settlements; citizens get sentences.
If Republicans can carve out a taxpayer-funded legal remedy for themselves, they can also carve out one for the people who sent them there.
Or will Washington keep proving that the swamp always looks after its own?
Sources:
- Politico, “Thune Secures Provision Allowing Senators to Sue Over Jack Smith Subpoenas” (Nov. 10, 2025)
- MSN, “Shutdown deal lets senators sue for $500K over data seizures in Jan. 6 probe” (Nov. 11, 2025)
- The Daily Beast, “House Republicans Claim They Were Blindsided by MAGA Senators’ Cash Grab” (Nov. 11, 2025)
Austin
Texas GOP Wants Closed Primaries. New Secretary of State Robert Howden Is Preparing to Fight Them.
Austin, TX – Texas Republicans spent years demanding control of their own primary. Now they have a new Secretary of State, Robert S. Howden, appointed by Republican Governor Greg Abbott, and the man taking over the state’s election machinery is inheriting a lawsuit in which his office is expected to defend the very open primary system the GOP wants to dismantle.
The Republican Party of Texas filed the federal lawsuit in September 2025, arguing that Texas’ open primary system violates the party’s First Amendment right of association. Under the current system, Texas voters do not register by party and may choose which party’s primary to vote in during an election cycle. The GOP wants only registered Republicans participating in Republican primaries.
The case is pending in federal court in Amarillo before U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk.
And Robert S. Howden has now inherited it.
Howden Steps Into the Fight
Gov. Abbott appointed Howden as Texas’ 116th secretary of state on July 17, effective July 18. Howden previously served as Abbott’s senior adviser and director of legislative affairs and has worked in the administrations of four Republican governors. As secretary of state, he is Texas’ chief elections officer.
Abbott has been quite clear about where he stands.
At the 2026 Republican Party convention, he said Texas would eventually make clear that “only Republicans vote in Republican primaries.” Abbott has also said lawmakers “can and should be more responsive to Republicans than a judge may be,” indicating that he expects the Legislature to address the issue during the 2027 session.
But that doesn’t mean the Secretary of State’s office is supposed to simply surrender in court.
That was the position taken by Howden’s predecessor, Jane Nelson.
Nelson argued that changing Texas’ primary system was a job for the Legislature, not a federal judge. In an October 2025 statement, she said it was her responsibility to defend existing election laws and that she would implement whatever changes the Legislature lawfully enacted.
The Attorney General’s office took the opposite position.
Attorney General Ken Paxton sided with the Texas GOP, asking the federal court to strike down portions of the Texas Election Code governing open primaries. According to reporting by The Texas Tribune, Nelson’s lawyers said Paxton’s office gave them less than an hour’s notice before taking the opposing position.
So the Republican Party sued the Republican-controlled state government. The Republican Attorney General joined the plaintiffs. And the Republican Secretary of State fought the lawsuit.
That’s not exactly the tidy party unity politicians like to advertise.
The Real Fight Is Over Who Controls the Nomination
The GOP argues that crossover voting allows Democrats and independents to influence Republican nominations, potentially helping candidates who are less conservative than the party base.
The lawsuit specifically pointed to the 2024 Republican primaries involving former House Speaker Dade Phelan and Rep. Gary VanDeaver. Both won their races by fewer than 800 votes, and the party argued that crossover voters helped determine the outcomes.
The party has already made closing primaries an official priority. Republicans adopted rules supporting closed primaries in 2024 and renewed that push at their 2026 convention.
But changing the system is not as simple as flipping a switch.
Texas has more than 18 million registered voters, and the state’s registration system was never designed around party registration. Moving to closed primaries could require new registration procedures, computer-system changes and a method for existing voters to establish party affiliation.
The GOP wants the courts to clear the way, preferably in time for 2028.
San Angelo, TX – San Angelo’s battle over massive data centers has moved from City Hall chambers to the ballot box, and two council members could soon have to defend their seats before voters angry about how the city has handled the projects. What began as a fight over water, power, development and transparency is now a full-blown political revolt, with recall efforts targeting Council Members Harry Thomas and Joe Self.
And the controversy comes at an interesting moment for Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered state regulators to conduct a comprehensive audit of data centers moving through the state’s electric grid interconnection process, saying the review must be completed before any data center project moves forward. ERCOT subsequently told Fox News Digital that Abbott’s directive “effectively pauses all data center projects” while the state reviews their demands on the grid.
That means the questions being shouted at San Angelo City Hall are no longer merely local complaints from residents opposed to a particular development. Texas officials are now asking some of the same questions.
Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas and ERCOT to examine pending data center projects and gather information, including projected annual and peak electricity demand, water consumption, water sources, and whether facilities intend to generate some of their own electricity. ERCOT reported that roughly 90 percent of the 474 gigawatts of large-load interconnection requests currently under review are associated with data centers, more than five times Texas’ record peak electricity demand.
Back in San Angelo, the San Angelo Data Center Citizen Coalition has been pushing its own accountability campaign.
A petition seeking the recall of Council Member Harry Thomas, who represents Single Member District 3, was submitted July 15 with more than the required signatures. The city clerk later certified the petition after determining 53 signatures were sufficient, clearing the way for a recall election.
Following public comment, the City Council voted 6-1 to call the recall election.
Thomas has maintained that he has no intention of resigning.
“I weigh every decision I’ve ever made on behalf of the 100,000 citizens in San Angelo,” Thomas said after the petition was submitted. “Every time I vote, I vote for all the citizens. I have no plans to resign from my position.”
Self is now facing his own recall effort.
The coalition submitted an affidavit seeking Self’s recall and subsequently collected the signatures necessary to move forward. On Aug. 6, Self issued a statement saying he supports residents’ right to seek a recall but rejected what he described as misinformation about his involvement with data centers.
“I have not signed any non-disclosure agreements,” Self said. “I have not benefited financially. I have not voted in favor of a data center.”
Self said the council has instead voted on regulations that would apply if a data center is established in San Angelo.
That distinction between approving a specific project and approving regulations governing potential projects has become one of the central arguments in the political fight. San Angelo officials have considered rules addressing land use, water and wastewater issues as the city confronts proposals for large-scale data center development.
The proposed Skybox project has become particularly contentious. City officials have described it as a potential $7.2 billion investment, while opponents have raised concerns about water consumption, electricity demand, infrastructure, noise and transparency surrounding the development process.
The political consequences are spreading beyond San Angelo.
Residents in Temple and Granbury have also launched recall or charter efforts amid disputes over data center development. In Temple, opponents have cited concerns about land, water consumption and heat generated by facilities. In Granbury, activists gathered signatures seeking recalls involving the mayor and most members of the City Council.
Election
Texas Senate Hopeful James Talarico Shared Pride Event Stage With 11-Year-Old Child Drag Performer
Federal Court Upholds State Limits on Minors at Adult Drag Shows
Taylor, TX – A federal appeals court has just upheld a Florida law restricting minors from attending certain adult live performances, including some drag shows. Within hours of that ruling, renewed attention was focused on Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico after reports resurfaced showing he headlined a 2021 Pride fundraiser featuring an 11-year-old child drag performer promoted as one of the event’s main attractions.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled in HM Florida-ORL, LLC v. Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, allowing Florida to enforce its law restricting minors from attending certain adult live performances. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the decision, calling it a victory for protecting children. The ruling does not prohibit drag performances for adults, but it recognizes that states may impose limits when minors are involved.
The timing has drawn renewed scrutiny to Talarico’s record as he campaigns for the U.S. Senate against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
According to promotional materials first highlighted by the Washington Free Beacon, Talarico was a featured speaker during Taylor PRIDE’s June 26, 2021 fundraiser in Taylor, Texas. The event was organized to raise money for “rural LGBTQ communities” and included live music, Drag Story Hour, adult drag performers, and an 11-year-old performer using the stage name “Kween Kee Kee.”
Taylor PRIDE advertised the child as “the absolute cutest & youngest of our drag performers.” Promotional posts stated the child would perform a drag routine and host “Kee Kee Storytime,” where children would participate in Pride-themed craft activities. The event was held at Texas Beer Company.
Photographs published from the event show Talarico addressing attendees from the stage and posing with participants. Additional photographs and video posted publicly show Kween Kee Kee, a local preteen named Keegan, performing in a shimmering blue dress, platinum blonde wig, and theatrical makeup during what organizers described as a Youth Drag Show. One attendee shared video of the child performing the splits before the audience.
The fundraiser also featured several adult drag performers, including Brianna Brinxx, Belladonna Dior, Felecia Enspire, and a performer using the stage name Sedonya Face.
Following criticism from conservative activists who protested the event, Taylor PRIDE defended the festival on social media. The organization rejected claims that the event was sexually explicit or exploitative and encouraged the public to review photographs from the event and decide for themselves.
Talarico’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment from the Washington Free Beacon regarding his participation.
The resurfaced event adds to a broader record that Republicans have highlighted throughout Talarico’s political career. While serving in the Texas House, Talarico opposed legislation restricting drag performances in the presence of children and argued lawmakers should avoid harming what he described as Texas’ drag performers. He has also opposed Republican-backed legislation restricting certain transgender medical treatments for minors and has frequently spoken in support of LGBTQ causes.
More recently, however, Talarico has attempted to present himself as a more moderate statewide candidate. He has described previous remarks, including referring to God as “nonbinary,” as “cringey” and has removed some progressive messaging from campaign materials as he seeks to broaden his appeal beyond Democratic primary voters.
The renewed attention comes as cultural debates surrounding children and drag performances continue playing out both politically and legally. Florida’s appellate court victory represents one of the most significant recent rulings supporting a state’s authority to restrict minors from attending certain adult-oriented live performances, even as litigation over similar laws continues elsewhere.
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