Sen. Paul: Unmasking Flynn a 'Devastating Abuse of Power'

The move for former Vice President Joe Biden and several top Obama-era intelligence officials to unmask the calls of President Donald Trump's first National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was a "devastating abuse of power," and there must be an investigation into why it happened, Sen. Rand Paul said Thursday. 

"What I want to know is what possible national security reason would there be to unmask Flynn?" the Kentucky Republican said on Fox News' "Fox and Friends."

Wednesday, a list of 39 officials who were involved in Flynn's original indictment was unveiled, which included naming many familiar people like Biden, former FBI Director James Comey, ex-CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and others as people who have called for Flynn's name to be "unmasked," or revealed on his conversations with former Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. 

"I think we should be alarmed by this," Paul said in an interview on Fox Business' "Mornings with Maria." "Joe Biden was intimately involved in eavesdropping on an American citizen, a high-ranking member of the opposition party ... the question needs to be asked of Joe Biden what was the national security reason, Clapper, Brennan, what was the national security reason you had to listen to this conversation or was it perhaps politically motivated?"

Paul said he wants to reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to be sure such actions never happen again. 

"It should not be used to investigate political campaigns," he said. "If you really think that someone is in a political campaign a spy, you can go to federal courts established under constitutional rule [to] get warrants. You should not use a secret court."

Further, had Trump not won the election, Americans would not know about all the abuses, Paul added. 

"They don't tell you that they've been investigating you," he said. "You somehow wind up either in jail or not in jail," said Paul. "My amendment is the only amendment that would actually really reform FISA, and says Americans should not be included in the process at all."

• James Clapper: I'm Willing to Testify — Remotely
• Trump Urges Sen. Graham to Call Obama to Testify About Unmasking