Special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation was “politically motivated” from “the very beginning,” and a secret court’s approval of surveillance on some Trump campaign members is the real “travesty,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Sunday.
In an interview on ABC News’ “This Week,” Paul said the more important constitutional issue lies in the use of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to approve surveillance on Trump campaign members.
“The primary constitutional issue is whether or not the FISA court, which is supposed to spy on foreigners, which has a lower constitutional standard, can you use them to spy on a presidential campaign or seek information about Americans — that truly is a travesty and unconstitutional, and that's the root of the problem we should be addressing.”
He also compared Mueller’s prosecution of campaign members to that of the ”abomination” of Martha Stewart’s federal conviction for lying about a stock sale.
“Most Americans would hate the idea that you're called in to talk to the FBI and when you're called in they say, ‘you know, what did you say on the phone to somebody two months ago?’” he said. “And if you describe that inaccurately, then the government's … going to say ‘we're going to put you in jail.’”
Paul said President Donald Trump was cleared of “any underlying crime” by Mueller's report, yet the issue is still being argued in Congress.
“I think since the very beginning this all has been politically motivated,” Paul asserted, adding: “This has degenerated into partisan politics and the best thing we can do at this point is say ‘let's get on with the country's business.’”