Patrick G. Eddington
@pgeddington
Out now: The Triumph of Fear: Domestic Surveillance and Political Repression from McKinley through Eisenhower. Order direct from GU Press & use code TGUF to get 30% off: Views mine alone.
Key documents Trump released undermine the very claims he made last night, like these two examples. The whole thing reminds me of the intelligence "cherry picking" exercise that underpinned Colin Powell's pro-Iraq War sales pitch to the UN in Feb. 2003. Same bogus ploy, different audience.
My statement on Trump's speech and document "declassification" action.
When the White House counsel is the declassification authority, the agenda is entirely political.
These are the tactics of a Gestapo, a KGB, etc. And thanks to the two bogus "reconciliation bills" passed by the GOP controlled Congress, these DHS goons are fully funded through the balance of Trump's term to engage in these kinds of intimidation tactics against anyone. www.npr.org/2026/07/01/n...
The vote total from Speaker Johnson's latest #FISA reauth failure: 198-218. It's clear, or at least it should be to Johnson & Thune, that the only way the Section 702 program gets new life is with a warrant requirement to access the stored data of Americans...like the Fourth Amendment says.
So let me get this straight. Johnson's going to bring up another #FISA 702 extension HE KNOWS will fail on the floor, then the House will be on recess until JUNE 23. I guess that means a 702 lapse IS NOT IN FACT AN EMERGENCY. www.politico.com/live-updates...
Another #Meta contribution to our ever-expanding surveillance state dystopia. www.wired.com/story/meta-s...
Welcome to the People's Republic of New York. x.com/CollinRugg/s...
Super curious how many House GOP members are now considering retirement in light of Trump's "I don't care about the midterms" remark (via @POLITICO Playbook PM edition today.
#Gas is well over $4.50/gallon here in the Commonwealth of Virginia. So much winning! #IranWarTax thehill.com/policy/energ...
It's not just the single corrupt act that this represents. It's the precedent it creates or encourages by any equally corrupt chief executive who might follow Trump. Just another reason why Article II of the Constitution should be stricken entirely. We don't need corrupt "national daddies."
Much more of this kind of state/local response to #ICE violent repression ops. thehill.com/homenews/sta...
Coming tomorrow re: #FISA and more. Subscribers only, but it's free so sign up now to get it Monday morning: www.therepublicsentinel.com
Pretty much what they tried to execute last year into early this year. The "enter residence without judicial warrant" approach was the proximate cause of the American Revolution. It could become the proximate cause of another revolution as well. www.nbcnews.com/politics/imm...
House passes 45 day #FISA Section 702 extension, which now goes to Trump for his signature.
So the #FISA Section 702 reauthorization battle enters a new phase. A program lapse seems a live possibility, but we'll know more as the afternoon/evening progress. And as I wrote earlier today, a temporary lapse would be no big deal: www.cato.org/blog/fisa-se...
Final House #FISA Section 702 vote totals. An utter disgrace.
Some erosion in the last hour, but Johnson still has 12 angry Members to try to arm-twist on #FISA and it’s not going well for him.
As of 11:57am this morning, this is where the vote on the rule to move to a vote on #FISA Section 702 reauthorization stands...and the vote has been open for nearly an hour. Johnson could end his own misery by simply making the Biggs amendment in order & let the House work its will.
Am hearing the Rules Committee will resume at 1pm ET re: #FISA rule, so things are very fluid right now. Meanwhile, there's this: www.theamericanconservative.com/meet-the-dem...
If just one of the 10+ GOP holdouts on a "clean" or bogus reform bill told Johnson a motion to vacate the chair will be introduced unless floor amendments to #FISA are allowed, I think this stalemate would very quickly be over. www.politico.com/live-updates...
Another #FISA Section 702 meltdown underway for Johnson & Scalise. Absolutely delightful.
House GOP leadership once again looking to jam Members up with another "Renew it or people with DIE!" fake emergency over #FISA Section 702 late tomorrow evening--assuming they actually have the votes to pass the rule & get the underlying bill--which contains no warrant requirement--to the floor.
So it looks like in the wee hours this morning, Leader Thune managed to get cloture on debate over Cotton's "clean" 3 year extension of #FISA Section 702. As my late father would say: "Well, that's a revolting development...."
In over 10 years in the House, I did learn a thing or two about whip counts. 😎 www.theamericanconservative.com/on-mass-surv...
I'm not really a fan of SPLC because of some of their "investigative practices" & using the same tactics as the FBI itself is beyond appalling. That said, this is pretty clearly politically motivated, i.e., NSPM-7 type stuff. thehill.com/homenews/adm...
Not mentioned in this piece: Will Patel try to go after the "anonymous sources" within the Bureau/DoJ who knifed him? www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04...