Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul formed a noisy alliance with Rep. Thomas Massie this week that scrambled Congress' plans to renew the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act without additional privacy protections for Americans and threatened the six-month tenure of the Republican speaker of the House.
Massie, a Northern Kentucky Republican, was joined by Rep. James Comer in supporting the "Fourth Amendment is Not For Sale Act" while Lexington Rep. Andy Barr opposed the restriction, voting "No" without an explanation.
The total vote muddled usual party lines, tallying 219-199 with 1 voting "Resent." Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy heaped praise on Paul, saying, "Today, the good guys won." Then came a new day and a new body co-led by Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who belittled "Chicken littles on the left" who decried the government's authority to spy.
With Section 702 of FISA set to expire at midnight Friday, the Senate barrel ahead toward passage without forcing law enforcement to obtain a warrant in order to tap the data of Americans FISA was designed to provide more tools to intelligence officers to eavesdrop on foreigners.
When House Speaker Mike Johnson broke a tie vote in the House to kill the inclusion of a warrant in FISA's reauthorization, it triggered Paul to take the unlikely step to call for the ouster of a leader of his party from the lower chamber, endorsing Massie's announcement he would co-sponsor a motion to vacate.
Paul said he would force the Senate debate amendments to FISA, but it was unclear how many votes would be allowed as debate continued on the floor into Thursday evening.
Paul joined 17 Republicans, 13 Democrats and independent Bernie Sanders in opposing expediting consideration of the controversial spy law.
https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article287797440.html
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