Rand Paul Demands NSA Provide More Information About Alleged Spying on Tucker Carlson

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Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is demanding more information about allegations the NSA surveilled Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, telling Director Paul Nakasone in a letter that answers were required for the agency to “restore credibility.”

“I am open-minded enough to believe, if given convincing evidence, that the NSA may be telling the truth,” Paul wrote in his sternly worded missive to Nakasone. “But when a long train of abuses conducted by the NSA evinces a consistent design to evade the law and violate the constitutionally protected liberties of the people, the NSA must do more than tweet a carefully worded denial to be trusted.”

Carlson alleged in June that a whistleblower informed him the NSA had been “monitoring” his communications, which involved an effort to set up an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that individuals at the agency planned to leak information that included his emails to hostile media outlets.  The NSA responded with a June 29 statement that said Carlson was never an “intelligence target” for the agency.

In his letter to Nakasone, Paul inquired whether Carlson had ever been a target for the agency, or if it had ever “incidentally collected” his electronic communications. He also asked Nakasone to say whether he planned to investigate the allegation that Carlson’s emails were leaked, which would violate federal law.

“As the head of the NSA, you can help restore credibility to your agency by being completely honest with the American people an explaining in detail whether the NSA conducted surveillance on Tucker Carlson in his role as a journalist, whether you or anyone else within the federal government approved his alleged unmasking, and whether [his] private emails were shared with any other reporters or news organizations,” Paul wrote. “Only an investigation into the alleged surveillance and leak will determine the truth of the matter.”