Rand Paul sounds off on own GOP leadership

Townhall Staff

May 26, 2011 3:05 PM May 26, 2011

Opinion

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Washington (CNN) – Freshman Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who angrily squared off with the top Senate Democrat Wednesday, turned his sights on his own party's leaders Thursday, accusing them of preventing a vote on his amendment to the Patriot Act that would require government investigators to get a court order before reviewing people's gun ownership records.

If unresolved, the standoff could cause key post-9-11 anti-terrorism surveillance tools to lapse for several hours past midnight when those provisions of the law are set to expire.

In a rare public rebuke of his Senate leadership, Paul told CNN he is "disappointed" by their actions and urged people to contact GOP leadership offices in protest.

"I've been working for two long days filibustering the Patriot Act in hopes that we can have a constitutional debate over certain provisions of it and we can try to reform it to take away some of the encroachments on our freedoms," Paul said in an interview. "Unfortunately, what we're finding now is that the Democrats have agreed to allow me to have amendments but my own party is refusing to allow me to debate or present my amendments."