Senator Lee Calls Christie’s Comments Political Pornography

Senator Mike Lee a Republican from Utah said that Republican Governor Chris Christie from New Jersey should be completely ashamed of himself following his comments about the Patriot Act that Lee compared to being political pornography.

During an interview with a leading television network, Lee was asked if he would respond to the statement Christie made in support of reauthorizing the nation’s Patriot Act, which will expire May 31.

Christie, who supports the renewing of the legislation, told supporters this week in New Hampshire that you cannot enjoy civil liberties if you are inside a coffin.

Lee said that the comments by the Republican Governor from New Jersey were absurd and argued that he was going to create a false choice between safety and the Fourth Amendment.

Lee said Christie should choose what he says more carefully. The spat between the junior senator from Utah and the governor of New Jersey, a hopeful for the 2016 Presidential nomination, is the most recent example of feuding between Republicans over the future of this controversial law that originally was passed following the 9/11 attack.

On Wednesday, Senator Rand Paul another Republican presidential contender spent over 10 hours on the floor of the Senate voicing opposition to bulk surveillance of citizens of the U.S. metadata.

Lee has yet to draw a hard line against the collection of all data, and instead backed an alternative known as the USA Freedom Act. That was passed last week by the House of Representatives with a large majority that was bipartisan.

The USA Freedom Act has a goal of limiting bulk collection about American citizens and mandates more transparency about decisions by the court relating to overall surveillance.

Paul said he does not think the USA Freedom Act is enough, while Lee joined colleagues from the Democrats such as Senator Joe Manchin in supporting it.

Lee said he did not say the Patriot Act should be allowed to expire, but there is a middle ground somewhere and that is reached with the USA Freedom Act.