Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Wednesday voiced his concern about Rep. John Ratcliffe's, R-Texas, nomination to director of national intelligence, specifically his voting record related to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, The Hill reports.
President Donald Trump on Sunday said he would nominate Ratcliffe, a strong supporter of his and member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, to succeed retiring Dan Coats.
"It sounds like he's been a proponent of more power to the FISA court, he's been a proponent of warrantless searches," Paul told The Hill, when asked about Ratcliffe's nomination.
Per The Hill, Paul appeared to be referring to Ratcliffe's decision to vote against privacy reforms to the intelligence community's collection powers under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
"We've been advocating for years that we need more protection for Americans," Paul said Wednesday. "The Fourth Amendment needs to be applied more consistently throughout the intelligence community. We want more restrictions on FBI looking at FISA data that's been obtained without a warrant for Americans."
"My first impression is [Ratcliffe] seems to be coming from a different point of view, which is worrisome. I haven't made a final conclusion, but I can tell you that our initial look is very, very worrisome," Paul added.
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