Ron Paul: “50 foiled Terror Plots” Claim Is False
Former Congressman says NSA hearings were a total sham
Steve Watson
Prisonplanet.com
June 19, 2013
Former Congressman Ron Paul accused the NSA of twisting the truth to fit pre arranged talking points Tuesday, saying that claims warrantless spying on American have foiled scores of terror plots are false.
“I don’t really believe that because I think they fudged the figures. Of those 50 plots that they stopped, I think 40 were minor plots overseas, for all we know.” Paul said, referring to comments made by NSA Director Keith Alexander during a House Intelligence Committee hearing.
The president repeated the talking point in a speech in Berlin, Germany today, claiming “at least 50 threats have been averted” thanks to information gleaned from the domestic surveillance programs.
“They have to try to justify their existence of destroying the freedom of and the privacy of the American citizens, otherwise they’re out of work.” Paul said on the Cavuto show Tuesday.
“They stretched the point. And even these hearings today were a bit of a sham…because they had already decided what the results would be,” the former Congressman added.
“It’s sort of like the old story about you have to burn the village to save the village. They want to burn the Constitution to save the Constitution,” he said.
“And even today, [James] Cole, the Deputy Attorney General says, the Fourth Amendment doesn’t apply to this. Where did he get this brilliance to know when it applies and when it doesn’t?” Paul urged.
“If we can go to war and do all these other things and throw the constitution out the window so casually, you better be sure if you give them an inch, they’re going to take a mile and paint themselves as heroes,” Paul added.
