Ben Carson clarifies support for government spying on citizens

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson is clarifying his comments that he would support widespread government monitoring of citizens and groups deemed “anti-American.”

Carson said Wednesday in South Carolina that he still believes the FBI should get more resources to track what he called “suspicious characters.” But he said such activities should comply with the Fourth Amendment’s protection against illegal searches and seizures.

Carson told the audience at a national security forum that it should be easy for authorities to get warrants to conduct surveillance activities.

Last month, Carson said he would support monitoring “a mosque or any church or any organization or any school or any press corps where there was a lot of radicalization and things that were anti-American.”

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