Paul Ends Filibuster After 10 Hours

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) “ceded the Senate floor just before midnight Wednesday after more than 10 hours,” The Hill reports.

New York Times: “The legislation that Mr. Paul hopes to delay, the U.S.A. Freedom Act, would actually overhaul the Patriot Act — curtailing the government’s bulk collection of phone records, for example. But Mr. Paul has cast himself as the lone Republican presidential candidate who would safeguard civil liberties, and he knows that a filibuster is an effective way to spotlight the issue.”

Politico: “People in Paul’s orbit believe that the decision to take to the floor to fight the NSA — via a long, filibuster-like speech — will galvanize the libertarian base that supported his father, Ron Paul, without turning off more mainstream Republicans.”