Sen. Rand Paul is holding up the confirmation of a key Trump national security nominee amid concerns about the National Security Agency's controversial surveillance program, according to news reports Friday.
The second-term Kentucky Republican is blocking the nomination of John Demers, assistant general counsel for Boeing Co., for assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's national security division, The Daily Beast reports.
Paul's concern is that Demers has defended the NSA's Section 702 surveillance program that collects a broad range of electronic communications.
Demers helped draft the law in 2008, The Washington Post reports.
Paul, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has long railed against the spy program — saying that its broad mandate allows for the collection data of innocent Americans, violating their privacy.
If he is confirmed, Demers will be one of just three Justice officials who can sign off on warrants to the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court.
The warrants allow the FBI agents to collect data on U.S. citizens who may be agents of a foreign power.
Paul's office did not respond to multiple requests for comment, the Daily Beast reports.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.