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Updated 9:30 p.m. ET, 3/19/2014

(CNN) - Sen. Rand Paul, who's become known for venturing into unfamiliar territory for Republicans, spoke Wednesday at the liberal hotbed of the University of California at Berkeley.

The Kentucky Republican castigated President Barack Obama for his continued support of the National Security Agency's phone metadata collection, saying the President should know better in part because of his race.

"The first African-American president ought to be a little more conscious of the fact of what has happened with the abuses of domestic spying," Paul said.

"Martin Luther King was spied upon, civil rights leaders were spied upon, Muhammad Ali was spied upon, antiwar protesters were spied upon," he added. "The possibility for abuse in this is incredible. So I don't care if there's never been any evidence of abuse with the (NSA)., they should not be collecting the data."

The domestic data collection program became public after former NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked the tactic, as well as a hoard of other NSA spying techniques, to the media last year.

In his speech Wednesday at Berkeley, Paul also mentioned the recent controversy surrounding claims that the CIA has been spying on computers used by Senate Intelligence Committee. CIA Director John Brennan responded with a flat-out denial of any wrongdoing.

"I don't know about you, but I'm worried. If the CIA is spying on Congress, who exactly can or will stop them? I look into the eyes of senators and I think I see real fear," he said.

"Maybe it's just my imagination, but I think I perceive fear of an intelligence community drunk with power, unrepentant, and uninclined to relinquish power," Paul said. "I am honestly worried and concerned about who is truly in charge of our government. Most of you have read the dystopian nightmares, the dystopian novels and maybe, like me, you doubted that it could ever happen in America."

Paul announced last month he was suing the Obama administration, demanding that the phone metadata collection be declared unconstitutional and put to an end.

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Libertarian-leaning Paul addresses liberal-leaning campus