The Senate's proposed Restrict Act, which has been nicknamed the Patriot Act 2.0, is a bipartisan measure that on its surface appears to be a way to end TikTok, but instead, it takes away several constitutional rights by giving the government access to computers, cell phones, and more without a warrant, retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax on Sunday.
Under the measure, the Commerce Department is allowed access to banking records, phones, social media, or "anything they want to go in and they can monitor you," Holt, a Newsmax contributor, said on "Wake Up America." "Then, if you want to get a virtual private network, that could be a $1 million fine and 20 years in prison."
The bill's wording says that if passed, it will "authorize the Secretary of Commerce to review and prohibit certain transactions between persons in the United States and foreign adversaries, and for other purposes."
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., is the bill's leading sponsor, but lists 25 fellow senators from both parties as co-sponsors.
Holt noted that one of the bill's co-sponsors, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., admitted on a talk show that "he didn't even read it."
But those who co-sponsored the bill as a bipartisan measure to ban TikTok "signed away the rights of the country," said Holt.
"Now this will get challenged, but how would we even let it get this far?" he said. "If something like this does not wake up Americans, if Americans won't melt switchboards in D.C. over this, then what will they melt them over?"
Holt added that he doesn't believe the senators who say they signed onto the bill as co-sponsors think they were doing so just to get rid of TikTok.
"Too many of them are lawyers," said Holt. "This is the type of garbage I would expect out of Sen. Warner. He's never seen a government expansion he didn't like. Americans out here, we've got a very cynical term, sarcastic term, called the 'uniparty.' There are no Democrats or Republicans. It's all the same nonsense out of D.C. Well, this just affirms that."
Holt also commented on the arrest of Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira for allegedly leaking classified information, and said there is "so much that doesn't add up on this thing."
Also, he said he questions why the Department of Justice and not the Defense Department is investigating the leaks.
"I hope it's not just because they can go in front of Congress and say they can't comment on ongoing investigations," said Holt, who said he wonders how Teixeira was able to get the information.
"Did somebody leave breadcrumbs to lead him to this information?" said Holt. "It is convenient not to let it slip out that, oh, Ukraine's really losing this war but we didn't tell you that. It was this leak. None of this adds up to me at all, and it needs a lot more scrutiny. And I just hope we'll get it. But you know, as well as I do. We're still waiting on accountability for Kabul."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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