Marjorie Taylor Greene Criticizes Trump for Using Assassination Attempt to Push FISA 702 Extension

A prominent former Trump supporter has publicly challenged the president's handling of the recent shooting incident at a major Washington event, suggesting he's using the attack to advance a contentious legislative agenda.

The 79-year-old commander-in-chief was evacuated from the 2026 White House Correspondents' Dinner held at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, April 25, when gunfire erupted. The suspect, identified as Cole Thomas Allen, was taken into custody.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, the ex-congresswoman from Georgia who split from Trump late last year and subsequently left Congress, took to X to voice her concerns about the president's response to the incident.

"The President is using his war on Iran and last night's WHCD shooting as excuses to give up your rights so that Congress just passes a clean extension of FISA 702," Greene posted, referring to the controversial surveillance provision.

The former lawmaker elaborated on her position, expressing alarm at the prospect of citizens relinquishing privacy protections. "It's ridiculous and absurd that any President who has sworn an oath to uphold the constitution would ever tell Americans to give up your rights so the government has the ability to spy on you, especially a government that has already done it to not only him, but to hundreds of thousands of Americans," she wrote.

Greene argued that Congress could reauthorize the surveillance measure while still protecting Americans' rights. "Congress can easily re-authorize FISA 702 with warrant requirements to protect American citizens rights and still be able to go after terrorist," she stated. "The questions you should be asking is why is this so hard for them and why would the President of the United States demand a clean re-authorization of FISA 702 without warrant requirements???"

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is scheduled to expire on April 30. The provision permits U.S. intelligence agencies to intercept communications from foreign nationals operating outside American borders. Among the nearly 350,000 foreign targets monitored under the measure, some maintain contact with U.S. citizens, potentially giving the federal government access to Americans' calls, texts, and emails.

The measure remains controversial because accessing information involving U.S. citizens currently does not require a warrant.

Trump has not publicly commented on FISA 702 since the shooting, though he has previously expressed support for extending the provision.

Greene also questioned the handling of information related to the shooting suspect. In a separate post, she indicated strong support for transparency regarding shooter manifestos and medical histories, including any psychiatric medications.

However, she highlighted an apparent inconsistency in how the Trump administration has managed information from different incidents. "I want to know why the Trump admin released Cole Allen's manifesto immediately but they still keep a tight lid on Thomas Crooks," she wrote, referencing Matthew Thomas Crooks, who died during an alleged assassination attempt on Trump in 2024.

"Thomas Crooks is dead and actually did shoot Trump in the face (ear which is part of the face) so why is all of his info/files totally sealed. It shouldn't be," Greene continued. "But a lot of info including the manifesto of Cole Allen, who is still alive, gets released immediately."