Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called for a repeal of the 100-year-old Espionage Act after the FBI’s raid of former President Donald Trump’s home on Aug. 8.
A longtime critic of concentrated state power, Paul argued on Twitter that the Espionage Act of 1917 has long “been abused” and was used to jail World War I dissenters.
“It is long past time to repeal this egregious affront to the 1st Amendment. Repeal the Espionage Act,” the Kentucky Republican wrote on Twitter, posting an article by former libertarian presidential candidate Jacob Hornberger.
The Espionage Act was passed in June 1917 under President Woodrow Wilson’s administration, coming just weeks after the United States entered World War I. The act forbade relaying or copying information relating to defense with the intention of causing damage to the United States or to benefit other foreign nations….