CHANDLER, Arizona (PNN) - September 18, 2012 - In a statement today, Libertarian Senate candidate Marc J. Victor criticized Representative Jeff Flake for his yes vote on H.R.5949 the FISA Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012.

“The reauthorization of these amendments permits the government to spy on countless Amerikans without a warrant, until 2017. FISA authorizes the warrantless search and surveillance of emails, Internet activity, and phone communications of millions of Amerikans without any judicial oversight. The potential for abuse is staggering. We have come a long way from what the Founders of our nation likely envisioned with the inclusion of the Fourth Amendment to our Federal Constitution,” said Victor. “Institutions like CATO have demonstrated that the language is vague, open to wide interpretation and wide scale abuse. The government has admitted that abuse has already occurred.”

Victor goes on to say, “If Jeff Flake has such little regard for privacy and rights of Amerikans, what other police state-type measures would he also support? Senate Candidate Jeff Flake has assisted in directing our country on an Orwellian path of domestic surveillance with obvious disregard for the Bill of Rights and the civil liberties of Amerikans. With this latest vote for warrantless surveillance, Senate candidate Jeff Flake has demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to protect freedom and help return our nation to the principles that made us a great nation.”