Chuck Schumer Reveals How He's 'To The Right' Of Rand Paul

Chuck Schumer Reveals How He's 'To The Right Of Rand Paul'

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he's "to the right" of Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) when it comes to the National Security Agency's surveillance program.

When Fusion host Jorge Ramos asked the senator about Paul's NSA lawsuit on Thursday, Schumer said he's more conservative than his Republican colleague.

"Since our Constitution was founded, the founding fathers have had a great debate between liberty and security, and you have to have both," Schumer said.

Schumer said he does "think we have to move a little bit on the liberty side" and said he would make the proceedings of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court public.

"But the wholesale elimination of the program, I think, leaves us too naked in terms of security, and you've got to have security as well as liberty," Schumer said.

Paul and the conservative activist group FreedomWorks filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration on Feb. 12 over the NSA's mass collection of millions of Americans' phone records. Paul and the group said they filed the suit for themselves and on behalf of "everyone in America that has a phone."

Watch Schumer on Fusion above.

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Before You Go

Out-Of-Touch Politicians
Rudy Giuliani And The Price Of Milk(01 of11)
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While running for president in 2007, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told a reporter at a Montgomery, Ala., supermarket that he estimates "a gallon of milk is probably about a $1.50, a loaf of bread about a $1.25, $1.30, last time I bought one." It must have been a few election cycles since his last trip: The grocery store's website listed milk for $3.38 and bread up to $3.49. (credit:AP)
Dan Quayle And Single Mothers(02 of11)
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During George H.W. Bush's reelection campaign in 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle scoffed at the "Murphy Brown situation," referring to a television character who had a child out of wedlock. Quayle called the Brown story "totally unreal," adding, "A highly paid professional woman [with a baby] ... give me a break." (credit:AP)
Martha Coakley And Shaking Hands(03 of11)
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In a display of aloofness that many political observers say led to her defeat by Republican Scott Brown, Democratic Senate candidate and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley erred in brushing off the idea of ramping up her campaigning. When asked whether she was being too apathetic, she referenced one of Brown's ads and fired back, "As opposed to standing outside Fenway Park? In the cold? Shaking hands?" (credit:AP)
Spiro Agnew And Poor Neighborhoods(04 of11)
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Republican vice presidential candidate Spiro Agnew, branded as Richard Nixon's go-to guy on cities, vowed in 1968 to avoid poor neighborhoods. "If you've seen one slum, you've seen them all," Agnew said. (credit:AP)
Gerald Ford And Tamales(05 of11)
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While visiting the Alamo in 1976, President Gerald Ford bit into a tamale through the husk, a faux pas later deemed the "Great Tamales Incident." (credit:AP)
George H.W. Bush And Grocery Scanners(06 of11)
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President George H.W. Bush caught flak for appearing awed by a supermarket check-out scanner while touring a grocers convention in 1992. It turned out the president was being shown a new bar code technology, and the convention worker who was alongside Bush later said it's "foolish to think the president doesn't know anything about grocery stores. He knew exactly what I was talking about." (credit:AP)
George W. Bush And Gas Prices(07 of11)
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In 2008, President George W. Bush said he had not heard predictions that gas prices could soon hit $4 a gallon. At the time, the national average was $3.29 a gallon. (credit:AP)
John Kerry And Cheese Steak(08 of11)
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In 2003, Democratic presidential contender John Kerry ordered Swiss cheese on a cheese steak while campaigning in South Philadelphia, straying from the traditional favorite topping, Cheez Whiz. (credit:AP)
Michael Dukakis And The Tank(09 of11)
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Democratic presidential contender Michael Dukakis tried to one-up Republican opponent George H.W. Bush on national defense by striking a pose in an M1 Abrams tank. (credit:AP)
Mitt Romney And Wawa(10 of11)
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Mitt Romney has had his fair share of seemingly out-of-touch statements this election cycle, admitting he likes to "fire people" and expressing amazement at the touchscreen ordering system at convenience store Wawa. (credit:AP)
Barack Obama And The Private Sector(11 of11)
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President Barack Obama is not exempt from the "gotcha" moment. In June, he described the private sector economy as "doing fine." The gaffe immediately elicited comparisons with his 2008 Republican opponent, John McCain, who said that the "fundamentals of the economy are strong" in the midst of a crippling financial crisis. (credit:AP)