John Cornyn
Role at the time: U.S. senator from Texas
Challenged the characterization
Statement summary
Sen. John Cornyn said the criticism of Flock cameras had moved too quickly and asked the FBI director to explain how the technology helps investigations.
“There seems to also be a recent rush to judgment when it has come to automated license plate readers, or so-called Flock cameras.”
Watch the original video (opens in a new tab)Senate Judiciary Committee FBI oversight hearing, September 15, 2026About 3:38:19, Cornyn and Patel exchange
Full hearing recording includes Cornyn's question about public criticism of license-plate readers and Patel's response defending case-by-case FBI use.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
Cornyn disputes the broad negative framing without expressly calling for unrestricted deployment.