Reps Jim Jordan of Ohio, Kentucky's James Comer and Matt Gaetz of Florida have called for an independent inspector general investigation to be launched into the NSA.
This demand comes after Tucker Carlson of Fox News reported on Monday that the NSA was spying on him. These reports came from a whistleblower who had contacted the popular news program to let them know this was happening.
SCOOP: Jim Jordan and James Comer join Matt Gaetz in calling for an independent inspector general probe into Tucker Carlson NSA claims; all three sign letter to NSA IG. Story: https://t.co/U5vK7jUtlr pic.twitter.com/oZhyNMykxq
— Emily Brooks (@emilyelarsen) July 1, 2021
On Thursday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also called for the NSA to answer to the allegations.
Tucker Carlson broke the news earlier this week that a whistleblower had contacted him and said that the NSA has been spying on him. Carlson has made this the subject of a few programs, so far.
Carlson claimed that the whistleblower added to his credibility by sharing information that could have only been known to someone with access to Carlson's personal text messages.
"The whistleblower, who is in a position to know, repeated back to us information about a story that we are working on that could have only come directly from my texts and emails," Carlson explained. "There was no other possible source for that information period."
Fox News filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request Monday morning asking for all of the information that the NSA and other agencies have gathered about Tucker Carlson's show. Fox News also contacted the press office at both NSA and the FBI, attempting to get to the bottom of the allegations.
The White House and the NSA responded to the allegations. When White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about it, she simply described what the NSA does.
"Well the NSA," she said, "is an entity that focuses on foreign threats and individuals who are attempting to do us harm on foreign soil. So, that is their purview, beyond that I would point you to the intelligence community."
The NSA responded, as well, and they also didn't deny it.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.