Sen. Rand Paul hit one of the most liberal colleges in America — Berkeley, Calif., which has earned the mocking monicker as a “People’s Republic” of higher eduction — to issue a scathing assessment of the state of constitutional freedoms to a crowd of about 400: Our intel agencies are out of control.
“Your rights, especially your right to privacy, are under assault,” he said, to the students gathered at The Berkeley Forum, The Daily Mail reported. He then talked about how his Senate colleague, Dianne Feinstein, reported her staffers were spied upon by Central Intelligence Agency officials, and vented: “I think I perceive fear of an intelligence community that’s drunk with power, unrepentant and un-inclined to relinquish power.”
The audience reaction was perhaps unexpected for such a liberal atmosphere — they cheered, The Daily Mail reported.
And they applauded especially hard for statements Mr. Paul made like this: “I am here to tell you that if you own a cell phone, you’re under surveillance. I believe what you do on your cell phone is none of their damned business.”
Mr. Paul hit hard at both the CIA and the National Security Agency — and then then turned coy when asked if his blunt talk was aimed at laying the groundwork for a 2016 White House run.
“Maybe,” he said, The Daily Mail reported. “Part of it might be that. Part of it might be that the Republican Party — I’ve said they either have to evolve, adapt or die.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.