The senator said he and the conservative activist group FreedomWorks filed the suit for themselves and on behalf of ‘everyone in America that has a phone’.
The lawsuit argues that the bulk collection program that’s been in existence since 2006 violates the US Constitution’s Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches. It calls for an end to the program, which was revealed by former National Security Agency analyst Edward Snowden.
The Obama administration maintains that the program, begun under President George W Bush, is legal. Courts have largely sided with the government.
President Barack Obama has called for reforms to the program in an effort to regain public trust. Others, like Paul, have called for the end of this kind of surveillance.
Paul dodged a question about his presidential ambitions during a news conference on Wednesday. But his lawsuit is the latest effort to propel the debate over the once-secret surveillance program into the 2016 presidential campaign.
The surveillance debate has exposed intra-party tensions for Republicans. The party split on this issue between its leadership, which backs the program on security grounds, and libertarian-minded members who are more wary of government involvement in Americans’ private lives.
The Republican National Committee, last month, approved a resolution to end the surveillance programs. While some Republicans played down its significance, the nonbinding vote was seen as a nod to Republicans like Paul.
The White House and justice department did not comment on the lawsuit specifically, but said they believe the bulk collection of phone records is legal.
‘This, we believe, will be a historic lawsuit,’ Paul said after filing the complaint in US district court in the District of Columbia. ‘We believe that this lawsuit could conceivably represent hundreds of millions of people who have phone lines in this country or cellphones.’
Ken Cuccinelli, the former attorney general of Virginia, is the lead counsel for Paul and FreedomWorks on the suit. Paul appeared at campaign rallies last October to support Cuccinelli’s unsuccessful bid for Virginia governor. In December, Paul’s advisers approached Cuccinelli about participating in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit argues that the bulk collection program that’s been in existence since 2006 violates the US Constitution’s Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches. It calls for an end to the program, which was revealed by former National Security Agency analyst Edward Snowden.
The Obama administration maintains that the program, begun under President George W Bush, is legal. Courts have largely sided with the government.
President Barack Obama has called for reforms to the program in an effort to regain public trust. Others, like Paul, have called for the end of this kind of surveillance.
Paul dodged a question about his presidential ambitions during a news conference on Wednesday. But his lawsuit is the latest effort to propel the debate over the once-secret surveillance program into the 2016 presidential campaign.
The surveillance debate has exposed intra-party tensions for Republicans. The party split on this issue between its leadership, which backs the program on security grounds, and libertarian-minded members who are more wary of government involvement in Americans’ private lives.
The Republican National Committee, last month, approved a resolution to end the surveillance programs. While some Republicans played down its significance, the nonbinding vote was seen as a nod to Republicans like Paul.
The White House and justice department did not comment on the lawsuit specifically, but said they believe the bulk collection of phone records is legal.
‘This, we believe, will be a historic lawsuit,’ Paul said after filing the complaint in US district court in the District of Columbia. ‘We believe that this lawsuit could conceivably represent hundreds of millions of people who have phone lines in this country or cellphones.’
Ken Cuccinelli, the former attorney general of Virginia, is the lead counsel for Paul and FreedomWorks on the suit. Paul appeared at campaign rallies last October to support Cuccinelli’s unsuccessful bid for Virginia governor. In December, Paul’s advisers approached Cuccinelli about participating in the lawsuit.