(ConservativeFreePress.com) – Sen. Rand Paul from Kentucky sharply criticized former President Trump for his support of Mike Rogers’s Senate candidacy, labeling Rogers as the most unsuitable choice for those wary of the entrenched government or “Deep State” this election cycle.
Paul voiced his concern on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, questioning the guidance Trump receives in making such endorsements. He highlighted Rogers’s opposition to Trump and his integration into what Paul views as the surveillance-heavy faction of the government.
This criticism came shortly after Trump publicly threw his support behind Rogers, who is seen as a leading contender for the Republican nomination for the Senate seat that Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan is leaving. Rogers has also gained the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, with its Chair, Steve Daines of Montana, collaborating with Trump to promote candidates aligned with the Senate GOP leadership for the elections.
Rogers, 60, has a history in the House of Representatives from 2001 to 2015, during which he led the House Intelligence Committee and was known for advocating increased surveillance powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). His tenure as committee chair was marked by support for broader intelligence-gathering capabilities to counter national threats, a stance opposed by Paul.
Paul, a prominent critic of such surveillance expansions, especially those authorized by Section 702 of FISA, argues that they infringe upon the Fourth Amendment’s protections. He has suggested reforms aimed at ensuring the government obtains surveillance orders from traditional federal courts for monitoring U.S. citizens, rather than relying on requests to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
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