Sens Paul, McConnell part ways on Patriot Act

Sens Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Rand Paul (R-KY) are on opposite sides in the battle over government surveillance, putting the alliance between the two Kentucky Republicans to the test. While Senate Majority Leader McConnell made clear this week that he wants to move forward with his own “clean” legislation to reauthorize three expiring portions of the Patriot Act, Sen Paul, who is running for President, has been one of the law’s most vocal critics. With a handful of legislative days left until the surveillance measures expire, Sen Paul has been surprisingly mum on whether he opposes Majority Leader McConnell’s plan, though few expect him to stay silent for long. “I think both [Sens] McConnell and Paul realized all along in this deal that there were going to be issues where they just had to agree to disagree,” said Josh Withrow, legislative affairs manager at FreedomWorks, which opposes Majority Leader McConnell’s Patriot Act bill. “This will probably be one of those.”