The House Intelligence Committee approved on Friday its intelligence authorization bill that would require federal campaigns to “report certain foreign contacts,” setting up a clash with Senate Republicans after they stripped similar language from their bill.
The bill “clarifies that opposition research and similar information may be considered a ‘thing of value,’ which campaigns may not lawfully accept from foreign national, per committee
The bill also includes provisions to bolster the independence of whistleblowers, who have come under attack by President Donald Trump.
The bill also requires a report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and “withholds finding for engagement with Saudi Arabian intelligence or security services until such report is provided.”
The bill also includes the congressional intelligence panels be notified if “any element” of the intelligence community supports the federal government response to protests, a move that comes over concerns about government surveillance of demonstrations.
