Fox News host Shepard Smith grilled White House press secretary Josh Earnest for nine whole minutes on the president’s support for the U.S.A. Freedom Act, asking how he felt to be in lockstep with the Bush administration and Republicans.
“How does the president — and how do you for that matter — feel about being in lockstep with the Bush administration, and the leadership in the House and the Senate and the Republicans?” Smith pressed.
“Shep, what the president has supported for more than a year and a half are important reforms to these programs that would put in place civil liberties protections for the American people,” Earnest responded.
“What civil liberties protection, Josh?” Smith asked.
“The President believes that the U.S.A Freedom Act strikes the right balance…” Earnest continued
“How? What’s the difference?” Smith interrupted.
“…civil liberties protections while at the same time ensuring that our law enforcement professionals have exactly the tools that they need that they say are important to keep the country safe,” he finally finished.
“The NSA would have no real court oversight; they’d be able to do exactly what they want to do, whenever they want to, whether anyone is suspected of anything or not,” Smith continued to press. “Why is it okay from the perspective of our constitutional expert president for the rights of the people to be trampled in this way…?”
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