Rand Paul opposes NSA reform bill
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is distancing himself from major intelligence reform legislation written by Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy and supported by potential Paul 2016 rival Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
Paul plans to oppose Leahys bill that would curb bulk data collection of phone records by the National Security Agency because he believes the legislation does not enact enough sweeping changes to the surveillance program, an aide said Friday.
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Sen. Paul does not feel that Sen. Leahys reforms go far enough. There are significant problems with the bill, the most notable being an extension of the Patriot Act through December 2017, the aide said.
Paul has made his opposition to government surveillance a hallmark of his travels as he campaigned for candidates this year. He even traveled to speak at the University of California at Berkeley this spring to rail against the assault on privacy that comes from the NSA programs.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) plans to bring the Leahy legislation to the floor as soon as next week. The bill has brought together liberals and conservatives like Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Cruz.
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Rand Paul opposes NSA reform bill