How Matt Gaetz helped resolve GOP impasse over controversial FBI spy tool with ‘magic elixir’ that will enable future Trump reforms

Congressman Matt Gaetz believes he has found the right formula for Republicans as they face a contentious session of Congress ahead of the 2024 elections.

Last week, as Republicans were deadlocked at a conference over the vote on the reauthorization of the Foreign Information Surveillance Act (FISA), Gaetz spoke with Chairman Johnson’s Chief of Staff Hayden Haynes and proposed an idea that he told DailyMail. com told.

“How about reducing the five-year FISA authorization, as the intelligence community requested, to just two years?” Gaetz said he asked.

Haynes and the speaker’s office presented Gaetz’s idea to the rest of the caucus and found that they were much more receptive to the idea. A senior source in Chairman Mike Johnson’s office confirmed Gaetz’s story.

Gaetz explained his thoughts on the idea in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com.

Why not give Trump a chance to reform the controversial program if he wins his election in November?

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump and Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson

Using a baseball metaphor, Gaetz said the idea helped push Republicans toward a compromise.

“While that caused some consternation among both members of the judiciary and the intelligence community, it was an enormous force in securing a at-bat for President Donald Trump,” he said.

A reelected President Trump, Gaetz explained, would be the perfect person to pressure Republicans to substantially reform FISA in the future.

“President Trump is the most famous victim of FISA abuse, so that says more about his perspective than the pearl he’s clutching,” he said.

Disturbing reports emerged last year that FISA’s Section 702 powers had been used “inappropriately” 278,000 times to surveil Americans and were also used to track January 6 suspects and Black Lives Matter activists.

As a result, Republicans authorized a modified version with “fixes” for the program to combat abuse.

That version was adopted by the House of Representatives last week, with a two-year extension.

The FISA reauthorization bill must pass the Senate on Friday or it will expire.

Gaetz said that while he and his allies didn’t get everything they wanted on the FISA reform bill, he was pleased they were able to shorten the duration of the authorization by 60 percent.

The Trump-supporting MAGA congressman, who filed the charge to oust Chairman Kevin McCarthy early this year, appears more willing to serve as a dealmaker in Congress.

Gaetz explained that he continued to work successfully with Speaker Mike Johnson on controversial issues as House Republicans struggle to maintain their majority.

‘I talk to the chairman or a member of his team every day. They don’t always agree with me, but they listen to me,” he said.

The FISA battle, Gaetz argued, demonstrated a philosophy for Republicans moving forward with the idea of ​​securing major victories for Trump after the election.

“There is a belief among Republicans in the House of Representatives that if you save an at-bat for President Trump, there is an opportunity for more change than we could achieve without him,” he said.

He described the philosophy as a “magic elixir” for Republicans dealing with tough issues like additional funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

Gaetz said he looked forward to the plan also building momentum for the remainder of the 2024 presidential campaign.

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz uses a microphone as Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump campaigns in Iowa

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., wears a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat and speaks to a reporter on Capitol Hill

“What creates momentum this close to a presidential contest, with Trump and Biden in it, with Trump in power, is explaining to Republicans how we can prepare the battlefield for the Trump administration,” he said.

“Not how we can limit the decisions based on the Trump administration by moving past it.”

Trump said Friday he was “not a fan” of FISA, but gave Johnson some leeway during a news conference with the chairman at Mar-a-Lago.

‘I’m not a big fan of FISA. But I told everyone I said, do what you want,” Trump said.

He seemed keen to implement more reforms in the future if he were to win his election as president.

“They’ve put a lot of checks and balances in place and I think it’s only two years away now so it should happen early in my term,” he said.