Tag: Rand Paul

Trump rallied for Kentucky governor but impeachment was on his mind

The president’s speech in Lexington on behalf of Gov. Matt Bevin continually circled back to his own grievances.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — President Donald Trump came here Monday night to rally for Kentucky’s vulnerable Republican governor, but the impeachment inquiry in Washington was foremost on his mind.

In a rambling speech lasting 1 hour and 20 minutes, the president railed against his political rivals, ramping up the invective. Democrats are “trying to tear our country apart,” he told a raucous crowd, “trying to nullify the ballots” of the 63 million Americans who voted for him in the 2016 election.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Trump’s onetime rival for the Republican nomination who has become a close ally, angrily defended the president from the stage. Addressing the genesis of the impeachment investigation, which centers on a pressure campaign involving Ukraine, Paul said, “We also now know the identity of the whistleblower,” and he urged the media to out the individual and Congress to issue a subpoena, despite the legal protections guaranteed to government whistleblowers.

View the complete November 4 article by Steven Shepard and Matthew Choi on the Politico website here.

McConnell eyes Trump, Paul and reelection when it comes to emergency fight

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) needs the support of President Trump and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to win reelection next year, meaning he must rely on two men at opposite sides of the debate over the use of an emergency declaration to build a wall on the southern border. 

The cautious GOP leader, who routinely suffers from poor approval ratings in his home state, never takes political outcomes for granted and always tries to minimize uncertainty.

That means he can’t afford public fights with Trump or Paul, who are both more popular with the GOP base.

View the complete March 5 article by Alexander Bolton on The Hill website here.

Rand Paul to vote to block emergency declaration, forcing Trump veto

Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY, Credit: Bill Clark, CQ Roll Call file photo

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) disclosed on Saturday that he will vote in support of a resolution this month to block President Trump’s emergency declaration, reports the Bowling Green Daily News.

“I can’t vote to give the president the power to spend money that hasn’t been appropriated by Congress. We may want more money for border security, but Congress didn’t authorize it. If we take away those checks and balances, it’s a dangerous thing.”

Why it matters: Paul’s vote, along with the votes of Republican Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Thom Tillis (N.C.), gives the Senate the majority necessary to block Trump’s national emergency. Sen. Lamar Alexander also warned Trump last week that he will face a GOP rebellion if he follows through with the declaration. Trump has already vowed to veto the resolution if it passes, which will be the first veto of his presidency.

View the March 3 post by Khorri Atkinson on the Axios website here.

Sen. Rand Paul Invites Top Russians to U.S. as They Claim No Election Interference

The following article by Griffin Connolly was posted on the Roll Call website August 6, 2018:

‘We all do it,’ Kentucky Republican has said of election interference

Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY., invited top Russian government officials to the US later this year. Credit: Bill Clark, CQ Roll Call file photo

Sen. Rand Paul invited top Russian government officials to visit the U.S. later this year to continue a dialogue on important national security issues, he announced Monday.

The Kentucky Republican, who is leading a legislative delegation in the country this week, met with Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs. That committee is the Russian equivalent of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee that Paul sits on.

“Engagement is vital to our national security and peace around the world,” Paul said in a statement.

View the complete article here.

Rand Paul’s claim that cutting $13 billion a year would balance the budget

The following article by Glenn Kessler was posted on the Washington Post website April 26, 2018:

Politicians often use differing “baselines” to project favorable policy outcomes. The Fact Checker’s Glenn Kessler explains why this doesn’t work. (Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)

“The bottom line has to equal 1 percent. A 1 percent cut each year is about $13 billion, actually balances the budget in five years.”
— Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), in an interview on CNN, April 17, 2018

Regular readers of The Fact Checker know that we long have looked askance at claims that balancing the federal budget would be relatively easy, as long as long as lawmakers do not engage in “smoke and mirrors” and simply cut back spending. It’s a quaint notion, straight out of Hollywood in movies like “Dave.” Continue reading “Rand Paul’s claim that cutting $13 billion a year would balance the budget”

Rand Paul embarrasses himself by calling wife beating “complicated”

The following article by Alison R. Parker was posted on the ShareBlue website February 11, 2018:

Contrary to Sen. Rand Paul’s flustered claim, there is nothing “complicated” about whether or not punching your spouse in the face is wrong.

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul Credit: CBS

The cognitive dissonance on display from the Trump administration regarding the domestic abuse scandals surrounding two now-former White House aides was bizarrely crystallized in one statement by Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul.

Trump has gone out of his way to defend Rob Porter — despite photographic evidence of the violent abuse Porter inflicted on one of his ex-wives and testimony from another, as well as an ex-girlfriend — as well as former speechwriter David Sorensen. Continue reading “Rand Paul embarrasses himself by calling wife beating “complicated””

The dumbest shutdown ever

The following article by Rachael Bade and Seung Min Kim was posted on the Politico website February 8, 2018:

The sole purpose of the all-nighter is to ensure federal employees can show up for work Friday without interruption.

Rand Paul and Nancy Pelosi have virtually nothing in common. But on Thursday night, the conservative Kentucky firebrand and San Francisco Democratic leader teamed up to push Washington into what Capitol Hill dwellers are calling the dumbest shutdown fight ever.

Incensed that a bipartisan budget deal would balloon the national debt, Paul delayed a roll call on a long-term budget agreement until after the midnight deadline to fund the government. Continue reading “The dumbest shutdown ever”