A year ago, Michigan Senator Gary Peters voted with 302 of his House colleagues for that version of USA Freedom Act (the incarnation I called USA Freedumb). He voted for a badly flawed bill (perhaps looking forward to his Senate campaign), but he did vote for a smushy compromise to get the government out of the business of holding all Americans’ phone records.
Also about a year ago, Peters voted for the Massie-Lofgren Amendment which would have defunded back door searches of data collected under Section 702. It was an easy vote; there was little chance then Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Barb Mikulski would have let that remain in the Defense Appropriations.
But Peters at least pretended he cared about abusive surveillance.
This week, however, Peters claims to be uncertain about whether he will support a short-term extension of sunsetting PATRIOT Act authorities. His office twice did not respond to a request for clarification on this front.
Let me be very clear: supporting Mitch McConnell’s short-term extension serves just one purpose: To make the already weak reform, USA F-ReDux worse. Peters’ claimed uncertainty about what he will do just enables McConnell’s stunt to expose innocent Americans to more spying.
If, like me, you’re a Peters constituent, please call his office and urge him to hold the line on the already weak USA F-ReDux. (202) 224-6221