Potential presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky filed a lawsuit Wednesday against President Barack Obama and others over the National Security Agency’s bulk data collection of U.S. citizens.
The Associated Press reports that Paul, along with activist group FreedomWorks and former attorney general Ken Cuccinelli, are arguing that the program violates Americans’ rights against unreasonable searches included in the Fourth Amendment. Paul further claimed that he fights for “everyone in America that has a phone.”
The Senator said to a news conference, "We don't do this out of disrespect to anyone we do this out of respect to the Constitution."
According to CNN, political analysts see the suit as a way for Paul to garner political appeal before the 2016 presidential elections. As son of Libertarian Ron Paul, Rand Paul’s stance on issues such as national security and war are the kind that can cross party lines. Paul’s case against NSA has already found support from members of the Tea Party Patriots and the American Civil Liberties Union alike.
The NSA program has been in existence since 2006 under George W. Bush and the Patriot Act. The White House has since refused to comment on the lawsuit.
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