Rand Paul to file suit against Obama, NSA over 4th Amendment

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is slated to file a class action lawsuit Wednesday against President Obama, the National Security Agency and a host of others involved in a U.S. surveillance program that collections information on millions of U.S citizens. 

Paul, a potential presidential candidate in 2016, said he expects the suit to eventually prevail in the Supreme Court.  

{mosads}“I am filing a lawsuit against President Barack Obama because he has publicly refused to stop a clear and continuing violation of the 4th Amendment,” Paul said in a statement from his political action committee. “The Bill of Rights protects all citizens from general warrants.”

The Kentucky senator has been planning the lawsuit for months, which he will file in the Washington, D.C., district court as a private citizen. 

Many of his previous statements on the issue have not included Obama as a defendant in the lawsuit.  

In addition to Obama and the NSA, the lawsuit will name Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, Director of the National Security Agency Gen. Keith Alexander and FBI Director James Comey. 

As previously announced, Ken Cuccinelli will act as lead counsel. Cuccinelli, the former Virginia attorney general, lost the state’s gubernatorial election last year to Terry Mcauliffe.

The president of FreedomWorks, Matt Kibbe, will also join the suit. 

“FreedomWorks is participating in this suit on behalf of our community of 6 million citizens nationwide, along with any American who has a phone,” Kibbe said. “If you use a phone, you should care about this case.”

Paul has been signing up tens of thousands of supporters through his campaign website and Rand Pac, his political action committee. 

His website encourages individuals to “please sign below and join my class-action lawsuit and help stop the government’s outrageous spying program on the American people.”

The solicitation, which asks for individuals’ names, email addresses and zip codes, also asks for a donation to help “stop Big Brother from infringing on our Fourth Amendment freedoms.” 

Paul has been one of the most outspoken critics of the NSA program that collects metadata on a large swath of the U.S. population. He has called for Clapper to resign for giving misleading testimony to Congress about the program.  

A number of other cases challenging the NSA program have already begun making their way through the courts. 

Paul will hold a press conference about the suit on the steps of the court after it is filed Wednesday.