Murphy Votes "No" On Patriot Act Renewal

U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, D-Cheshire, joined the rest of the Connecticut delegation Thursday by voting not to extend the Patriot Act for another four years, according to the Hartford Courant's Capitolwatch Blog. 

Murphy prefaced his vote in his Senate Campaign blog.

"The Patriot Act does not strike the right balance between protecting our nation while safeguarding the cherished civil liberties we hold dear," Murphy said in a May 25 email that was posted on the site. "I have voted to give Congress time to find an appropriate balance in the past, but extending the most unjustifiable provisions in the act with no additional oversight for an additional four years is a bridge too far for me."

The Patriot Act, enacted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, allows the government to use roving wiretaps, search records, and investigate non-American suspects.

Murphy, who has announced he is running for U.S. Senate in 2012, and Rep. Joe Courtney broke from the delegation back in February, by voting for a 90-day extension of the act. In an interview with ConnecticutBob.com at the end of February 2011, Murphy said he believed the act to be overreaching into the lives of everyday Americans but that he was willing to give Congress and the president more time to renegotiate it. The measure passed in the House and the Senate, and is expected to be signed by President Barack Obama.