Sen. Rand Paul demands investigation into NSA over Tucker Carlson spying allegations

The senator sent a letter to Gen. Paul Nakasone of the NSA, questioning the NSA's public denial of Carlson's spying accusations and defending the Fox News host as an American journalist who should be protected by the First Amendment.

Paul, who sits on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, wrote that he is "open-minded" to the idea that the NSA is telling the truth; however, he cites a "long train of abuses" committed by the agency as a reason for an investigation. The Kentucky senator requested that the government agency answer specific questions about the allegations, including if the NSA plans to investigate if Carlson's claims are true, Axios reported Sunday. Paul demanded for lawful justification of any unmasking if it, indeed, occurred.

Carlson had made the spying allegations on his nightly show earlier this month, stating that he was notified that he was illegally "unmasked" by Biden administration intelligence agents. The NSA has publicly denied the allegations.