**House Speaker Mike Johnson Responds to Last-Minute Addition in Senate GOP Bill**
*By Jenny Goldsberry | Washington Examiner | November 16, 2025, 11:05 AM*
House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator John Thune recently found themselves at odds over a last-minute addition to a Senate GOP bill. A source familiar with the provision told the *Washington Examiner* that Thune included the measure at the request of members of the Senate GOP conference, citing a “strong appetite for it.”
Meanwhile, Johnson expressed his displeasure, stating he “did not appreciate” the sudden addition with no prior notice.
“I was kind of frustrated by it. I said that publicly,” Johnson said Sunday. “But I have since talked to Leader Thune and the senators who were involved, and their motivation was pure. They were trying to put teeth into the provision of law that prevents these abuses like Jack Smith and these rogue prosecutors who weaponize the DOJ and go after political enemies. There ought to be a penalty so we can deter further action like that in the future.”
In 2023, Special Counsel Jack Smith tracked the phones of several Republican senators, including Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Ashley Moody (R-FL), and Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA). At the time, Schmitt and Moody were members of the Republican Attorneys General Association, which was also under surveillance by Smith.
According to Senator Hawley, Smith was able to track the locations of several senators as part of an FBI operation known as Arctic Frost.
*Read more at washingtonexaminer.com*
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**Topics:** Crime/Corruption, Government, Politics/Elections
**Keywords:** Jack Smith, DOJ, Senate GOP, Surveillance, Arctic Frost
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