Paul has not yet issued any statement about the McConnell bill, and his office repeatedly said the senator had no comment at this time.

The refusal to weigh in was also on display Wednesday night at an awards ceremony put on by The Constitution Project that honored Paul and Sen. Patrick Leahy for their commitments to defending civil liberties. Though Paul took time to blast the NSA—saying the Founding Fathers would be "mortified" by government snooping on Americans—he did not mention McConnell or the push for clean reauthorization in front of the friendly crowd. And he refused to take questions from reporters before or after the event— even during a seven-floor shared elevator ride with National Journal.