Top Trump national security officials Mike Pompeo, Bill Barr and John Ratcliffe urge Speaker Mike Johnson to renew foreign spy tool to keep Americans safe as threat levels surge

Top national security leaders are demanding Speaker Mike Johnson support the House Permanent Select Intelligence Committee's bill to renew a critical FBI spy tool.

The tool, Section 702 under Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), allows U.S. federal intelligence agencies to conduct targeted searches of foreigners, which they say is critical to stopping terrorists. Lawmakers are determined to fix 'rampant abuses' to the program before reauthorizing the bill, so that the FBI does not improperly conduct queries of Americans in the process of stopping threats. 

A letter first obtained by DailyMail.com from the hard-hitting Trump officials to Johnson urges the new speaker to endorse a renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that includes meaningful reforms - but no warrant requirements they say could 'hinder national security.'

The letter was signed by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Attorney General Bill Barr, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien and former Intelligence Chair Rep. Devin Nunes.

Their support comes one day after the House Judiciary Committee passed out of committee a separate FISA renewal bill - setting up a clash on the House floor. 

Judiciary's version includes warrant requirements Chairman Jim Jordan says is important to ensuring Americans are not improperly searched - which the Trump officials say should not be included. 

The needed reforms 'should focus on concrete improvements including congressional oversight of and access to FISA Court transcripts rather than a warrant requirement that may not achieve its intended objectives and could hinder current national security efforts,' they write.

The HPSCI bill includes more robust reforms and fixes that will 'significantly lessen' abuses according to Chairman Mike Turner of Dayton, Ohio.

Turner has been critical of requiring warrants, which he says will overly burden the intelligence community. 

'We do not and should not need a warrant to look at legally and constitutionally collected data from terrorists,' Turner previously told DailyMail.com.

But he says his bill will not allow the Intelligence Community to target any Americans without a warrant. 

'We urge you to support the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’s bipartisan bill sponsored by Chairman Mike Turner and Ranking Member Jim Himes,' Barr, Pompeo and the other officials say in the letter to Johnson.

Turner and Himes are taking issue with several provisions contained in the Judiciary Committee's measure.

They say there are a number of shortcomings with the bill spearheaded by Jordan 

'As former officials who have either worked for or with the Intelligence Community, we write today with serious concerns that a critical tool to keep Americans safe will cease to be available to the men and women who protect the United States each day,' the leaders wrote in the letter first obtained by DailyMail.com.

 'At the end of this month, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will sunset.'

'This is one of the most critical tools the Intelligence Community has at its disposal. Section 702 must be reauthorized and, as evidenced by the FBI’s prior flagrant abuses, FISA must also be reformed.'

Speaker Johnson has said that he is supportive of the short-term extension to get the FISA renewal bill in a better place before final passage. 

The text of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) released today includes a short four-month extension of the Section 702 program, so that there are not any lapses in its use.

Johnson was previously reported to have floated earlier this week the possibility that he would allow both the HPSCI and the Judiciary bills head to the floor.