United States Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) vows to filibuster any attempt in Congress to extend the eavesdropping powers provided to the government through the US Patriot Act before they expire at the end of the month.
Sen. Paul began speaking out against government surveillance on
the floor of the Senate at around 1:18 pm ET on Wednesday, saying
“I will not let the Patriot Act, the most unpatriotic of
acts, go unchallenged.”
Provisions in the anti-terrorism law, passed in the wake of the
September 11, 2001 attacks, are set to sunset on June 1 unless
Congress extends them before then. Senator Mitch McConnell
(R-Kentucky), the Senate majority leader, has advocated for
extending the National Security Agency’s ability to conduct such
surveillance in certain cases while an alternative solution is
sought.
I've just taken the senate floor to begin a filibuster of the Patriot Act renewal. It's time to end the NSA spying!
— Dr. Rand Paul (@RandPaul) May 20, 2015
As the end-of-month deadline nears, Senator Paul on Wednesday
said he would launch a filibuster to ensure the spy powers are
not reauthorized.
"We should be in open rebellion saying enough is enough.
We're not going to take it anymore,” Paul said on the Senate
floor on Wednesday around one hour into his address.
Earlier in the day, the Department of Justice circulated a memo
on Capitol Hill warning lawmakers to act swiftly and be prepared
to pull the plug on Sec. 215 of the Patriot Act this week. The
memo said this was necessary in order to avoid complications that
could arise in the event the program is not renewed before the
end of the month. A federal appeals court ruled two weeks ago
that Sec. 215 does not authorize the National Security Agency to
collect phone records in bulk, contrary to the government’s
current interpretation, dealing the biggest blow yet to the
previously secret surveillance program first exposed to the
public in 2013 by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
We’re at a stage where we need to ask, “Can you not have your liberty and security?” I think we can. #StandwithRand
— Dr. Rand Paul (@RandPaul) May 20, 2015
During his diatribe, Paul said that he doesn’t fault the NSA as a
whole, but rather its eavesdropping programs that permit the
government to collect information on entire groups of people
without reasonable suspicion or warrant.
“I’m for the NSA. I want the NSA to do surveillance that will
help to protect us from attack. Not only am I for surveillance, I
am for looking as deep as it takes. But I want some suspicion. I
want suspicion that this person, this John Doe, that there is
some evidence. You don’t have to prove that they’re guilty, you
just have to have something that points towards them being
suspicious.”
"This battle is not just about records, but about the right to trial by jury, due process, and habeas corpus." @RandPaul#StandWithRand
— Payton Alexander (@AlexanderPayton) May 20, 2015
The Senator from Kentucky took particular issue with the bulk collection of telephone records, emails, and even credit card data. “It should worry us that the government has access to all of our records, all of the time,” he said.
Paul also brought up concerns that spying is already causing “economic punishment” for major US software companies, with foreign users demanding increased encryption. Furthermore, putting in “back-door” access for US spying agencies also opens up software to attacks by hackers.
“There is a danger that we will destroy great American companies by forcing this surveillance into their products,” Paul said.
"The Bill of Rights isn't for the prom queen or the quarterback, but for the least among us and for minorities" @RandPaul#StandWithRand
— Payton Alexander (@AlexanderPayton) May 20, 2015
The Bill of Rights was meant for everyone, not just special people, Paul warned. Continuing the bulk surveillance programs that systematically violate the letter and spirit of the Bill of Rights would lead to what former NSA official and whistleblower Bill Binney called “turnkey totalitarianism”.
“If you’re not concerned that democracy can produce bad people, you’re not thinking this through,” Paul warned.
In 2013, Sen. Paul led a nearly 13-hour filibuster to raise objection to the US government’s use of weaponized drones.