Rand doesn’t buy it

Today, Senator Rand Paul (and Edward Snowden, see below) reacted to claims from President Obama that he would seek to end the bulk collection of metadata by the NSA. If President Obama carries through with limiting the NSA’s power it certainly would be historic. When was the last time the Feds willingly limited their own powers? As you can see, Rand Paul isn’t necessarily buying it:

He unilaterally instituted this program without congressional authority…now he’s saying he has to wait for congressional authority to undo it. I think he could unilaterally stop the program if he were serious about it.

Wasn’t it touching how the Fox host tried to stand up for his good friends in the CIA who “feel as though this program is necessary?”

Here’s Edward Snowden’s full statement issued via the ACLU:

I believed that if the NSA’s unconstitutional mass surveillance of Americans was known, it would not survive the scrutiny of the courts, the Congress, and the people.

The very first open and adversarial court to ever judge these programs has now declared them ‘Orwellian’ and ‘likely unconstitutional.’ In the USA FREEDOM Act, Congress is considering historic, albeit incomplete reforms. And President Obama has now confirmed that these mass surveillance programs, kept secret from the public and defended out of reflex rather than reason, are in fact unnecessary and should be ended.

This is a turning point, and it marks the beginning of a new effort to reclaim our rights from the NSA and restore the public’s seat at the table of government.