U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) looks on, on the day he meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz along with other Senators, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) is blasting his own Republican colleagues as "tone deaf" after they demanded their own cash settlement from the U.S. Justice Department.
President Donald Trump announced last month that he believed the DOJ owed him $230 million for investigations into him over the past several years. Now, Republican senators want payback, too.
CNN reported this week that the bill that ended the government shutdown included a provision requiring the Justice Department to inform lawmakers when they're being investigated or their information is being subpoenaed.
"The language, tucked into one of the appropriations bills, comes after Senate Republicans released FBI records related to an investigation called 'Arctic Frost,' which pertained to the fake elector scheme from 2020, where Donald Trump allies pressured GOP electors to register Electoral College votes for Trump from states that former President Joe Biden won," CNN explained.
Among the things done during the investigation was monitoring who Trump was calling, who was calling him, and how long the calls lasted. Republicans have complained this was an example of them being "wiretapped," though no conversations were monitored or recorded.
The provision would demand that each senator be given $500,000 for the perceived infraction authorized by a judge.
Speaking to Fox Business, Arrington said, "I think it's completely tone deaf and wrong-headed to have this $500,000 payout for senators."
He believes it will ultimately be repealed and that public pressure will demand the Senate do so as well.
"It is rare that Democrats and Republicans agree unanimously on something but we — every single House member voted to that sentiment to repeal that provision and not enrich members as a way of remedying this situation," he continued.
Even Fox News host Maria Bartiromo was skeptical, noting Republicans spent the entire shutdown demanding a "clean" continuing resolution (CR) to reopen the government. Then, at the last minute, she said, they "jam in" this provision.
"Two wrongs don't make a right," claimed Arrington.