GOP presidential candidate and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul sparked heated debate and used procedural opposition to force the law that allows the government to collect bulk phone data to expire temporarily on Sunday night. Paul was able to delay a vote at least through Tuesday on a House-passed bill known as the USA Freedom Act, which would curtail the program’s controversial practices. “People here in town think I’m making a huge mistake,” Paul said. “Some of them, I think, secretly want there to be an attack on the United States so they can blame it on me.” Earlier Sunday, Paul objected to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s proposal to extend less controversial surveillance programs, prompting a heated response from the fellow Kentucky Republican, who called Paul’s actions “a campaign of demagoguery and disinformation.”
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