US Senator Rand Paul October 31, 2013 Dear Mr. Webb, Thank you for contacting me with your comments on the recent state of troubling revelations about the policies of the Obama Administration and the conduct of some employees. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on these issues. Throughout the month of May and into June 2013, previously undisclosed information about the policies and practices of several government agencies were brought to the publics attention for the first time. On May 13, the Associated Press (AP) reported that the Department of Justice had subpoenaed the phone records of several of its journalists in the course of investigating a series of national security leaks in 2012. Then, on May 14, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration released an audit report confirming that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had improperly targeted certain conservative groups for extraordinary scrutiny, based solely on their political views. Perhaps most upsetting was the June 5-6 publication of several classified documents that exposed the vast effort underway at the National Security Agency (NSA) to indiscriminately gather the electronic communications data of millions of American citizens, every day, without a warrant and without probable cause. These three episodes, however, are only the most recent examples of a longer history of disregard for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights on the part of the current Administration. In March 2011, President Obama committed the U.S. military into action in Libya, without so much as acknowledging that Congress alone has the power to declare war. In Jan. 2012, the President appointed three individuals to the National Labor Relations Board, in spite of the fact that the Senate was not adjourned in a recess at the time. That action has since been declared unconstitutional by two federal courts, and will be reviewed by the Supreme Court in the fall of 2013. In addition to this habitual disregard for the Constitution, a pattern of misinformation and denial on the part of the Obama Administration has called into question the integrity of many in government. In Sept. 2012, during President Obamas campaign for reelection, four Americans were murdered in an attack on a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya. In the days afterward, administration officials intentionally misled the American people as to the true nature of the attacks. More recently, the Director of Exempt Organizations at the IRS, Lois Lerner, refused to speak under oath about her agencys targeting of certain groups on the basis of their political affiliation. Attorney General Eric Holder, who initially denied any involvement in the AP investigations in testimony to the House Judiciary Committee, was later found to have personally approved an extensive surveillance of the personal e-mails and movements of journalist James Rosen. Similarly, under direct questioning from my colleague Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in March 2013, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper denied that the NSA was collecting any type of data at all on millions of Americans – a claim that we now know to be demonstrably false. Simply put, I find it outrageous that more of these bureaucrats have not been fired, and I am appalled at this Administrations casual approach to their Constitutional obligations. Furthermore, I believe that these scandals are a symptom of a much more fundamental problem that we face as a nation – an arrogant federal government that has simply grown too large, too invasive, too distant from people, and utterly adrift from its Constitutional moorings. I certainly understand your frustration and, like you, I am disappointed in both the Administration and the numerous other government officials who now find themselves mired in scandal. It is impossible to trust a government that does not respect the Constitution, that does not cooperate fully with Congressional oversight, and that goes to such great lengths to keep the public in the dark. The unscrupulous behavior on display throughout this period of scandal erodes the American peoples faith in their government, and diminishes the moral authority that the President must retain in order to govern effectively. However, we must not become so discouraged with the problems of the present that we simply give up on shaping a better future. I am actively exploring all of the options available to me with regard to spearheading a broad-based effort to remedy some of the excesses that have recently come to light. Rest assured that I will continue to demand answers and accountability, and I will continue to fight for a more principled, limited government that respects the Constitution and the rights of each and every citizen of this great country. Sincerely, Signature Rand Paul, MD United States Senator
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 20:42:34 +0000
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