GOP lawmaker joins ACLU suit against NSA spying

Sensenbrenner, a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, said Friday that Congress never intended the Patriot Act to be used so broadly. That mirrors a criticism that millions of Americans have echoed as they have learned about the scope of surveillance activities against them.

{mosads}”The NSA’s dragnet collection of data is a violation of Americans’ privacy rights and a misinterpretation of the law,” he said. “Bulk data collection has frightening implications.

“Congress never intended this. I will rein in the abuse of both the Patriot Act and the U.S. Constitution with the support of the American public.”

Sensenbrenner also argued the administration may be prepared to require information on every gun sale and noted that the National Rifle Association is also supporting the ACLU lawsuit.

In late August, the ACLU filed an opening brief in the case with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. In that brief, the group reiterated that it’s asking for a preliminary injunction against the NSA’s activities.

“The NSA’s program is illegal because it is not authorized by Section 215 of the Patriot Act as the government claims, because it invades every American’s Fourth Amendment right to privacy, and because it forces ordinary Americans to pause every time they pick up the phone to consider whether they want the NSA to know whom they’re calling – infringing on the First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and association,” the ACLU said.

The Obama administration argued the group has no standing in the case, as its injuries are “entirely speculative.” The government’s brief also insisted that its collection of phone records is “lawful under FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] and the Constitution.”