Cruz: NSA Reforms ‘Strengthened’ Ability To Go After Terrorists, Intel Agencies Said So

Texas Senator and Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz addressed the debate between him and fellow GOP presidential candidate Florida Senator Marco Rubio over the NSA by stating that his reform, the USA Freedom Act, strengthened the tools to go after actual terrorists,” and arguing that Rubio thinks we’d be safer if the federal government sees your phone records and mine” on Tuesday’s “Hannity” on the Fox News Channel.

Cruz said the USA Freedom Act [relevant remarks begin around 5:15] “ended the federal government’s bulk collection of phone metadata. It ended the federal government having your cell phone information and my cell phone information. And I think we’ve got to respect the Bill of Rights, and the rights of law abiding citizens, but number two, the USA Freedom Act strengthened the tools to go after actual terrorists, to target the bad guys, to get their cell phones, their emails. That’s the way the Bill of Rights works. and Marco knows that, but at the end of the day, the position that he’s advocating, is he thinks we’d be safer if the federal government sees your phone records and mine. I don’t think that’s right. And at the end of the day, the intelligence agencies told congress the USA Freedom act expanded their ability to target the bad guys. and yet, Marco’s — the super PAC supporting Marco doesn’t want to acknowledge that.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett