'Bad idea': Senate Republicans flee from GOP's own self-enrichment scheme

Some Republican Senators appear to be retreating from a provision tucked in the bill that reopened the government, which would allow them to sue the government for $500,000 if their phone records were subpoenaed by former special counsel Jack Smith during his investigation into President Donald Trump, according to a new report.

The Senators appear to be running from the provision less than a week after the Upper Chamber voted to approve the bill to reopen the government.

Smith subpoenaed phone records of eight sitting Republican senators, according to a report by Politico. Of that total, only Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has said he is planning to "take advantage" of the legislation, the report says.

Other Republicans like Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) are backing away.

“I think the Senate provision is a bad idea,” Hawley told the outlet in a statement. “There needs to be accountability for the Biden DOJ’s outrageous abuse of the separation of powers, but the right way to do that is through public hearings, tough oversight, including of the complicit telecomm companies, and prosecution where warranted.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), one of Trump's closest allies in the Senate, also appeared skeptical of the legislation.

"If I did sue, it would only be for the purpose of using the courts to expose the corrupt weaponization of federal law enforcement by the Biden and Obama administrations," Grassley said. "With the full cooperation in our congressional investigations from the Trump DOJ and FBI, that shouldn’t be necessary.”

Read the entire report by clicking here.