On Fox News this afternoon, White House press Secretary Josh Earnest said Sen. Rand Paul’s principled stance against the USA Freedom Act is actually hurting important reforms to the Patriot Act that Paul supports.
“That’s what Senator Paul has done, he’s blocked a piece of legislation that actually advances some of the reforms he has previously said that he supports,” Earnest explained, adding that the legislation included some reforms to Patriot Act powers.
Earnest reminded Fox News host Shepard Smith that as a senator running for president in 2008, even Obama supported extending the Patriot Act – calling for reforms.
“This is the president’s consistent view, that with proper judicial legislative and even independent executive branch oversight, these authorities are critically important to our national security,” Earnest said.
As a senator in 2005, Obama signed a letter warning about abuses of the Patriot Act.
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