Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) began a “talking” filibuster on the nomination of John Brennan as director of the Central Intelligence Agency on Wednesday, speaking for over three hours in objection to the Obama administration’s policy on targeted drone warfare.
“I will speak until I can no longer speak,” Paul said. “I will speak as long as it takes, until the alarm is sounded from coast to coast that our Constitution is important, that your rights to trial by jury are precious, that no American should be killed by a drone on American soil without first being charged with a crime, without first being found to be guilty by a court.”
Paul began speaking a little before noon on the Senate floor. He later enlisted Tea Party Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) to aid him in the effort, handing off at about 3pm ET. A vote on the Brennan nomination is still expected later in the day.
The last “talking” filibuster in the Senate occurred in 2010 when Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) rose to speak for more than eight hours against extending Bush-era tax cuts.
