The U.S. government has built an apparatus of mass surveillance that is unconstitutional, abridges or endangers all our rights, and must be dismantled.
Under Section 702 of FISA, the NSA, FBI, and other government agencies collect and store private communications from millions of Americans and then query FISA 702 databases for our personal information—all without probable cause and a warrant.
When the state can’t gather our data through brute technological force, it compels private industry to hand it over through intimidation and legal threats, or simply by paying or rewarding private actors to serve as agents of the state.
And the abuses go beyond surveillance to due process. The state wields the Espionage Act as a weapon to silence whistleblowers and journalists.
These assaults on the Fourth and Fifth Amendments chill speech.
I’ll always fight against every scheme to surveil or subdue the people, and I’ll work to pass legislation to expressly bar state-agent relationships that violate our rights.
I voted 4 @justinamash for U.S. Senate from Michigan & Nick Somberg @picknick_mi for U.S. Congress in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District in Michigan’s Republican Primary this morning. Please join me if you live in Michigan. @waltduro @JimBovard
I did my part! Now get out to your polling location and cast your ballot for @justinamash! The ONLY option if you prefer your freedoms untrampled by tyrants!
I've never voted in a Republican or Democratic Party primary and I've never supported a Republican or Democratic Party candidate for a statewide office. I'm making an exception for my guy @justinamash
In a year that promises a lot of bad choices at the ballot box, I had the distinct pleasure of casting a vote today for @justinamash in Michigan's GOP Senate primary. Marking my ballot for Amash was the easiest decision I've made in 30+ years as a voter.
My opponent Mike Rogers has always been absolutely clear about his agenda:
More endless wars.
More warrantless surveillance.
More weaponized government.
Donald Trump just endorsed the worst Deep State candidate this cycle.
@MikeRogersForMI is a never Trumper, and a card carrying member of the spy state that seeks to destroy Trump.
You have to ask yourself who gives Trump this awful advice?
Who’s next, John Bolton?
.@justinamash had one of the greatest voting records of any congressman ever when he served in the House.
Elect Justin to the Senate, Michigan. Let him continue his great work representing you in the upper chamber.
#VoteJustinAmash
@JayTC53@JoshuaMadison@Skelly4Liberty@RandPaul@justinamash Justin Amash is way more likely to win the general. And by the way, what's the point of turning the seat red if Mike votes with Democrats on every spending bill? Mike is legit just a Democrat with an R next to his name.
https://t.co/d3mvx3V9AR
Attention #Michigan Voters!!
There is an incredibly important #Senate primary election & the candidates couldn't be more different. @justinamash has consistently voted to protect your rights and @MikeRogersForMI is the perfect example of a Deep State ghoul! So vote! #Republicans
Oh look he’s back to pulling in the swamp people to work alongside him. What a joke. Michigan, there is only one choice that will protect your liberty and that’s @justinamash
Mike Rogers is the swampiest of them all.
I’m asking for your vote today.
This Republican primary for U.S. Senate is like no other contest in the country, and the results will reverberate across America.
There’s no race with such a stark contrast between the candidates.
Mike Rogers and I served together in Congress for four years. During that time, we cast thousands of votes on the House floor. These votes tell a story about our values, our principles, and our priorities.
My approach to analyzing legislation is straightforward and focused on the people I represent:
1. Does it follow the Constitution?
2. Does it uphold the Rule of Law?
3. Does it advance liberty?
My opponent’s approach couldn’t be more different: It’s to do whatever party leaders tell him to do.
I voted to shrink government and empower the people. He voted to grow government and empower the state.
I led the charge to protect privacy and secure individual rights. He was an architect of the Patriot Act and FISA programs used to unlawfully spy on Americans.
I urged colleagues to rein in executive war powers and restore sanity to U.S. foreign policy. He demanded colleagues give the president and the Pentagon a blank check.
But the differences go much further, to how we engage with our constituents.
I publicly explained my votes and held over 100 town halls, taking all questions unscreened, directly from the audience. Transparency and accountability have been hallmarks of my representation.
Not so for my opponent.
We have a big choice to make about what kind of representation we want to have in the U.S. Senate.
Here’s the bottom line: I have no interest in partisan games. I’m prepared to support anyone or challenge anyone. You can count on me to do what’s right, not what benefits me personally.
I care about being a good senator—following the Constitution, upholding the Rule of Law, advancing liberty—taking my responsibilities seriously and treating the people I represent with respect.
It would be my honor to represent you in the United States Senate.
You can find your polling location at https://t.co/FSQZbtQB9H. Polling places open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
Your vote today will make a difference. THANK YOU for making a difference. Please take your family and friends to vote—and spread the word.
Let’s do this.
In liberty,
Justin Amash
The First Amendment protects from government regulation the sharing of misinformation or disinformation in almost every context. This is a feature, not a bug, in our American system. Human progress depends on a robust exchange and test of ideas.
Much of what we recognize today as obvious truths were once widely regarded as incorrect or even as falsehoods or lies. We must never allow a central authority to dictate to the people what is off limits for consideration or to strong-arm technology companies into manipulating public discourse.
The Constitution of the United States provides a floor, not a ceiling, for our efforts to safeguard the freedom of speech and the principles of individualism. Any public policy that doesn’t meet the basic threshold of constitutionality is unlawful and void by definition. We don’t debate the merits of an unconstitutional action; we reject it and move on.