Seven Virginia Republican congressmen who voted against a congressional amendment intended to end authority for the blanket collection of personal records under the Patriot Act have met with condemnation from the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation.
“The Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation thanks four Virginia congressmen (Connolly, Griffith, Moran, Scott) for supporting the Amash-Conyers Amendment of the Defense Appropriations Bill, HR 2397. Furthermore, we condemn the seven Virginia congressmen (Cantor, Forbes, Goodlatte, Hurt, Rigell, Wittman, Wolf) who voted against the Amash-Conyers Amendment, expressing their disdain for personal liberty and privacy,” said Mark Daugherty, chairman of the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation.
The Amash-Conyers Amendment #100 was intended to end authority for the blanket collection of personal records under the Patriot Act and would bar the NSA and other agencies from using Section 215 of the Patriot Act to collect records, including phone call records that pertain to persons who are not subject to an investigation under Section 215.
A press release from the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation singled out Sixth District Republican Congressman Bob Goodlatte, saying Goodlatte has “the unfortunate distinction of being the leading congressional proponent of domestic spying, supporting it all six occasions that it has come before the House.”
“Seven Virginia Republican congressmen apparently support warrantless seizures of personal information of 315 million American citizens, without probable cause. It’s not enough for Congressmen to merely give lip service about reading the Constitution. It’s expected that they will actually abide by it,” said Rick Buchanan, vice chair of the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation.
The Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation is a coalition of 44 independent Tea Party and patriot groups that stand for fiscal responsibility, constitutionally-limited government, and free market principles.
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