„They‘re the government within the government,“ Kucinich said during his interview on Ohio Matters. „Does it exist? You bet it does. And anyone who says it doesn‘t, doesn‘t know anything about Washington, never served in Congress and has no clue.“

Kucinich, who served eight terms in Congress and twice ran for president, pointed to the Patriot Act signed shortly after 9/11, which gave broad authority to the intelligence and defense communities for surveillance. Kucinich was one of only 66 U.S. House members to vote against the Patriot Act.