Rand Paul calls for repeal of Espionage Act after Trump FBI search
Published Date: 8/14/2022
Source: axios.com

Less than a week after the FBI's search of former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called for the repeal of the Espionage Act on Saturday, saying it was an "egregious affront to the 1st Amendment."

Driving the news: The Department of Justice filed a motion on Thursday to unseal parts of the Mar-a-Lago search warrant.


  • Documents released on Friday revealed Trump may have kept documents at his Florida residence in violation of the Espionage Act and other federal laws.

The big picture: "The espionage act was abused from the beginning to jail dissenters of WWI," Paul tweeted on Saturday alongside a link to a 2019 post from the Future of Freedom Foundation, explaining the history of dissent against the law and making the case for its repeal.

  • "It is long past time to repeal this egregious affront to the 1st Amendment," Paul added.

State of play: Republicans have been divided over how or whether to defend Trump after the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago, Axios' Andrew Solender writes.

Go deeper: Mar-a-Lago search warrant's clues