U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.WASHINGTON – In virtual lockstep on topics such as guns, God and limited government, Southern Republicans in the Senate differ on how to balance national security interests with First Amendment protections.
Last week, lawmakers from Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and elsewhere expressed a range of opinions on the Department of Justice’s widespread seizure of telephone records of Associated Press journalists. It’s believed that Justice subpoenaed the records in hopes of pinpointing who gave the AP information about a foiled Yemen-based terror plot.
Some Republicans are quick to condemn the Justice Department as privacy invaders. But last year, those same legislators encouraged the Obama administration to intensify its investigation into press leaks.
In an interview, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., criticized Obama’s Justice Department, describing “a government action chilling free speech.”
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., echoed Alexander in a way that hasn’t happened lately on a major vote. The men took opposite sides on the Internet sales tax issue (Alexander for, Paul against), but joined forces in support of a free press.