Sen. Tom Cotton explanation for rejecting the PRESS Act was so absurd, it seems implausible that even the Arkansas Republican actually believed it.

Cotton blocked the PRESS Act, a bipartisan bill intended to shield journalists from being forced to reveal confidential sources when pressured by the federal government.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) blocked a federal shield law that would protect journalists from revealing their sources and material to the government. In the Senate on Tuesday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas blocked a bipartisan bill, that would have given journalists more protections under federal law, after Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon asked for unanimous consent Tuesday.

Sen. Tom Cotton stymied the Senate from passing the first-ever federal press shield law on Tuesday, contending that if enacted, the legislation could put national security in jeopardy. The Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act (PRESS Act),

A shield law known as the PRESS Act that would give journalists greater federal protections failed to pass the Senate on Tuesday evening after it was blocked by Senator Tom Cotton. Shield laws protect journalists from being forced by the government to disclose information such as the identities of sources.

With the clock ticking on the current Congress, there are new doubts over the prospects for a bill that would shield journalists from being compelled by the federal government to reveal their sources and materials.