2016 Presidential hopefuls rush to weigh in on NSA ruling

Candidates running for President in 2016 released divided statements following an appeals court ruling that found the National Security Agency's mass collection of US phone records is illegal. The reaction fell into three camps: those who called for Congress to pass a reform bill, those who called for the Supreme Court to finish the job, and those who remain supportive of the program.

Sen Rand Paul (R-KY), who has filed his own lawsuit over the program, said he was "pleased" with the ruling and called on the "Supreme Court to strike down the NSA's illegal spying program." "To celebrate today's ruling, we've lowered the cost of the NSA spy blocker in our campaign store," Sen Paul tweeted, referencing the simple device that covers up a computer's webcam when not in use. Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton did not speak about the decision directly but said Congress should pass the USA Freedom Act, a reform bill that would effectively end the program, by requiring that phone records be stored with telephone companies. Three of the four senators who are running for president released laudatory statements. Sen Marco Rubio (R-FL) continued to support the spy program and called for its reauthorization. "The solution is not to get rid of a program at a time when we know that the risk of homegrown violent extremism is the highest it's ever been," Sen Rubio said on the Senate floor. Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) said the ruling confirmed what the public already knew. He also called for the Senate to pass the reform bill. "The USA FREEDOM Act ends the NSA’s unfettered data collection program once and for all, while at the same time preserving the government's ability to obtain information to track down terrorists when it has sufficient justification and support for doing so," Sen Cruz said.