The Week in Review 

Happy Friday!

I hope you had a wonderful week. I am grateful to serve you all in the 118th Congress. Read below to see what I’ve been working on this week. 

Holding the FBI Accountable for Latest Surveillance Abuse 

I sent a letter to Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray regarding the agency’s use of “backdoor searches” to sift through Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) data to obtain information on United States citizens, in violation of the law.  

According to a new report issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI unlawfully, without a warrant or proper purpose, searched the data for an unnamed Member of Congress and local political organizations. Section 702 of FISA authorizes the government to intercept electronic communications of non-U.S. persons who are located outside of the United States. 

However, these collections tend to return information related to American citizens, and reports reveal that information is often inappropriately and unconstitutionally searched and used by federal intelligence agencies.

The FBI’s rogue surveillance behavior should alarm all Americans. The FISA authority was intended to protect Americans, not to allow the federal government to spy on them. 

The latest report on the FBI’s alleged FISA abuse reveals that the agency is directly violating the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution—protections that prohibit warrantless surveillance on Americans by an overreaching government. That’s unacceptable and cannot continue.

My colleagues and I in Congress are currently weighing whether FISA 702 authorities should be reauthorized beyond December 31, 2023. Unless we receive prompt and thorough responses from Director Wray, we cannot proceed forward with that process.

The letter may be found here. 

Politico covered the letter here.

The Washington Times covered the letter here. 

Protecting Americans from Weaponized DOJ 

Today, I sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland regarding the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s continued targeting of political opponents. The DOJ is seeking to re-prosecute a case in which President Trump already granted clemency. In 2016, the Obama Administration’s DOJ charged Philip Esformes with healthcare fraud, money laundering, and bribery in a multi-count indictment. During the case, it was determined that DOJ prosecutors committed prosecutorial misconduct by violating attorney-client privilege while reviewing privileged documents revealing Esformes’ legal strategy. 

Ultimately, Esformes was convicted on multiple counts, though the jury did not return guilty verdicts for every charge. President Trump became aware of this rogue DOJ behavior and commuted Esformes’ sentence in 2020. 

Despite the proven misconduct and minimal damages, the Biden DOJ has now reopened the case by targeting the charges for which the jury did not return a guilty verdict, allowing the government to seize more than $44 million in assets as restitution and asset forfeiture from Esformes.

For years, the DOJ has unjustly and unlawfully targeted its political opponents.

The Philip Esformes case highlights what most Americans already know: Our nation has a two-tier justice system and it does not serve the American people fairly. The DOJ is using the Esformes case as a trial case to set aside all clemencies granted by President Trump. This reckless move is contrary to American history and further indicates how weaponized the DOJ has become. 

Mr. Esformes has already served time and has been publicly humiliated. Re-prosecuting a case that has already been commuted by a former U.S. president is unprecedented and would set a dangerous path forward. In fact, a re-prosecution would permit virtually all presidential grants of clemency to be overturned—undermining this constitutional authority.

Attorney General Garland cannot continue down this unprecedented path that can turn our nation into a Banana Republic. He must provide immediate answers to the questions found in my letter.

The letter may be read here.

The Daily Caller covered the story here. 

Community Outreach

This week, my office met with a World War II Air Force veteran named Lester Page. Lester turned 100 this week and we celebrated his birthday with him. American Legion Post 39 assisted with the celebration. I am grateful for his service and will continue to do my best to take care of our veterans. 

Save the Date: Drop Zone 2023

My annual Drop Zone event is coming up! Drop Zone 2023 will occur on Saturday, May 13 from 10am to 2pm at the American Leadership Academy, Applied Technologies, located at 7729 East Pecos Rd, Mesa, AZ 85212.

Drop Zone is the one-stop shop for all veterans. You’ll be able to access health screenings, taxpayer advocates services, community support groups, and much more. 

Save the date and we hope to see you there!   

 Legislation and Letters 

Bill cosponsored: 

H.R. 932 - To repeal the authorizations for use of military force against Iraq.  

H.Res.115  - Establishing a Women's Bill of Rights to reaffirm legal protections afforded to women under Federal law. 

H.R.1016  - Stop China’s IP Theft Act.

H.R.976 - TCJA Permanency Act. 

Letters cosponsored: 

Congressional Amicus Brief on Chemical Abortion 

My America First Contract 

House Republicans will need to immediately reverse the Democrats’s disastrous policies to get our country back in good shape. 

My America First Contract is an outline to reduce inflation and strengthen the economy, secure our border, restore transparency and parental choice in education, reduce violent crime and preserve the rule of law, restore election integrity, break up Big Tech, put America First in foreign, energy, and trade policies, and reinstate good government practices. 

In addition to achieving these eight goals, the plan calls on conducting enhanced oversight and using available leverages to stop the abuse of power from President Biden in 2023. I will introduce legislation supporting each area of the plan within the first 100 days of the next Congressional term and will work with my colleagues to bring that legislation up for consideration in the House.

The full contract may be read here. 

Alien Invasion Border Documentary 

Check out my border documentary titled Alien Invasion. The 30-minute documentary features footage from private ranches along the border, the Darien Gap in Panama, and interviews with members of Congress, Border Patrol, local and state law enforcement, and much more. It addresses how President Biden’s border crisis began, its consequences, and solutions to address the crisis.  

The border documentary may be watched here.

Top Media Appearances of the Week

I joined Newsmax’s Bob Sellers to discuss how Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg failed to adequately respond to the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Click below to watch some of the segment. 

I joined OAN’s Dan Ball to display my concerns over the Biden Administration’s response to foreign objects in U.S. airspace. Even at the congressional level, we still don’t know much about the recent objects shot down. Click below to watch some of the segment.

I joined Fox News Radio’s Jimmy Failla to provide my instant reaction to the Biden Administration's assertion that the nation is doing better overall under its leadership. Click below to hear some of the segment.

What's the Biggs Idea Podcast

This week, Revolver News’ Darren Beattie and CPAC’s Matt Schlapp joined the “What’s the BIGGS Idea?” podcast. 

Darren is a former speech writer and policy maker for President Trump and is now Editor at Revolver News. We discussed why the Republican Party keeps losing key races and how it relates to “grifting.” We also analyzed the psyches of political donors and their decision-making. 

Matt Schlapp is the Chairman of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). We discussed the prosecution case of Philip Esformes and how politicized the Department of Justice has become.

We’ll be posting more episodes soon. Check out our social media pages for updates. 

Click below to view the podcasts. Or visit my website to watch previous episodes. 

Tweets of the Week

Constituent Services 

Flags
Would you like to purchase a flag that has been flown over the U.S. Capitol? Flags flown over the Capitol include a certificate, which may be personalized for a particular person, event, or organization. Click here to learn more about purchasing a flag.

Internships
If you or someone you know is interested in completing an internship in either my Mesa or Washington, D.C. office, they can apply directly on my website. 

Help With a Federal Agency 
If you can't get an answer from a federal agency in a timely fashion, or if you feel you have been treated unfairly, my office may be able to help resolve a problem or get you the information you need. For example, my office routinely helps constituents with issues involving the Veterans Administration, the IRS, the Social Security Administration, the State Department, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  You can learn more by visiting my website.

Click here to find out more information about my office’s services. 

Tours and Tickets

Interested in touring the White House or U.S. Capitol? As constituents of the Fifth Congressional District, you may request tickets and tours for various Washington D.C. destinations from my office. 

All tickets are provided to constituents on a first-come, first-served basis, so request tickets early.

Click here for more information.

Definition of the Week 

This week, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg finally made public statements on the horrific train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailment spilled toxic vinyl chloride and has poisoned air, water, and soil for millions of Americans in the Ohio Valley region. It is arguably the worst train derailment under the Biden Administration, if not of any Administration. 

It’s unclear why Secretary Buttigieg waited over 10 days to make a public comment about the explosion and why he hasn’t visited the wreckage yet. But what is clear is that this is another failure under Secretary Buttigieg’s leadership. The Secretary has overseen numerous supply chain issues, constant commercial flight delays, and other massive train derailments. 

Inspired by Secretary Buttigieg, here is the definition of the week: 

East Palestine, Ohio: A town forgotten by Secretary Buttigieg because it doesn’t advance the Administration’s woke and leftist agenda.