All posts tagged "rand paul"

MAGA AG moves to investigate Fauci as Republicans vow revenge for invoking Fifth

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, is launching an investigation into former National Institutes of Health director Dr. Anthony Fauci.

According to Politico, Uthmeier's boss, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has concocted a bizarre legal theory for why Fauci, who testified before a hostile GOP-dominated Senate committee on Wednesday, was not allowed to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights under questioning from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).

"Uthmeier has launched several investigations since he was appointed by DeSantis in February 2025, from suing health organizations over the state’s ban on transgender treatments for children to recruiting rules used by the NFL," noted the report. This follows DeSantis writing "in a Wednesday X post the former White House adviser cannot claim the Fifth Amendment since he received a preemptive pardon by Biden, and he should be held in contempt for not answering Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul’s questions about U.S. funding going to a lab in a region of China where the first Covid cases were reported."

Paul has spent years pursuing the idea that Fauci-backed "gain of function" research was responsible for engineering the COVID virus, something that has never been substantiated, and has openly called for Fauci's arrest. In his testimony, Fauci explained that while he has not broken any laws, his lawyers advised him to remain silent due to Paul's eagerness for a pretext to prosecute him.

For his part, said the report, Paul "told Fauci he will face consequences for pleading the Fifth and has scheduled an Aug. 5 committee meeting to discuss whether to declare him in contempt of Congress," while Uthmeier said weeks before the hearing even took place "that he was losing sleep over thinking of ways to prosecute Fauci."

Florida became ground zero in 2020 for political leadership defiance against public health guidelines for required masking and social distancing, during the height of the pandemic. The state became a huge vector for the spread of COVID.

Trump DHS chief struggling for 'positive human relationship' with his GOP overseer: report

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is still struggling to get along with the GOP senator tasked with overseeing his agency, according to a new report.

Politico reported on Friday that "tension still exists" between DHS head Markwayne Mullin and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

"There needs to be a good relationship between the Secretary of Homeland Security and the chairman of the committee," Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) told Politico. "I think it's important they figure out how to have a positive human relationship."

Paul questioned Mullin's suitability for the role during a committee hearing in March. Paul recounted how a neighbor attacked him in 2017 and broke his ribs, and how Mullin had "told the media that I was a freaking snake and that you completely understood why I had been assaulted."

The beef between Paul and Mullin "is limiting productive engagement," Senate Republicans told Politico.

Paul declined to comment on his relationship with Mullin for Politico. Mullin has also had some trouble having some say in his own circle, as he's reportedly already been sidelined by the White House.

Mullin, a former Oklahoma senator and three-term House member, was confirmed as the 9th DHS Secretary on March 23 in a 54-45 vote, with Paul casting the lone Republican no vote. The Kentucky senator confronted Mullin during his confirmation hearing over what he called Mullin's "anger issues," including a 2023 Senate hearing where Mullin appeared ready to physically fight a witness.

Mullin replaced Kristi Noem, who was ousted following bipartisan criticism over the fatal shootings of Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents.

GOP senator's son flips off MAGA lawmaker after hurling anti-Semitic taunts: report

The drunken son of a GOP senator hurled anti-Semitic taunts at a Republican congressman, according to new reports.

William Paul, the son of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), confronted Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) at a Capitol Hill bar on Tuesday and went on an anti-Semitic rant, according to reporting by NOTUS.

After introducing himself as Rand Paul's son, William Paul started talking about Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a Trump foe who could be ousted in the primaries. NOTUS reporter Reese Gorman wrote that the confrontation happened in front of him "in full view."

According to Gorman, the William Paul told Lawler that if Massie loses the primary, it will have been the fault of "your people."

Lawler asked, "My people?" and William Paul answered, "Yeah, you Jews," Gorman reported.

"Do you think I'm Jewish?" Lawler asked. "I'm not."

"Oh wow, I'm so sorry for calling you a Jew," William Paul apologized, according to Gorman. Paul went on to say that Jews were "anti-American" and talked about how Lawler and his "Jewish supporters" served Israel more than the U.S., Gorman reported.

According to Gorman, "Lawler repeatedly pushed back and engaged with Paul, defending his support of Israel, and told Paul he was being anti-Semitic."

William Paul then started talking about GOP megadonor Paul Singer, saying he "serves Israeli interests, not American interests," and told Lawler that he "needs to watch more Tucker Carlson," Gorman reported.

"Well, you just seem to hate Jews," Lawler said, according to Gorman. "So there's no point arguing anymore."

Paul shoved a finger in Lawler's face and then flipped him off when Lawler told him to leave, Gorman reported. Paul said, "I'm sorry...I'm just really drunk."

Paul didn't respond to Gorman's request for a comment.

Fed-up Ted Cruz holds fellow Republican's legislation hostage in spat over spy fridge bill

A spat broke out between a couple of GOP senators while they were trying to pass their respective bills on the floor.

Sen. Rand Paul from Kentucky was trying to pass a bill that would give more land to a local Boys and Girls Club when fellow Republican Sen. Ted Cruz from Texas stepped in, according to an X post by Burgess Everett, the congressional bureau chief for Semafor.

Cruz was upset that Rand had shot down bills that passed in the Commerce Committee, which Cruz chairs. In particular, Cruz talked about a bill that would force internet-connected devices with cameras to have labels as a check on mass surveillance. Cruz said he would only pass Paul's bill alongside a "spy fridge bill," Everett wrote.

Paul's opposition to the bill led Cruz to call him "the only libertarian on Planet Earth that is fighting to have more surveillance," Everett reported.

Paul brought up that Cruz wanted to require AM radios in all cars and said that he shouldn't be comparing a bill for the Boys and Girls Club to a "nationwide regulation with fines and fees," according to Everett's post.

He asked Cruz to "tell us why you hate the Boys and Girls Club. Don't say you have to accept a regulation on refrigerators," per Everett, who mentioned that neither of the senators' bills passed.

CNN's Dana Bash taken aback as Senate hearing devolves into 'Real Housewives' episode

CNN host Dana Bash cracked a joke on Wednesday as the heated hearing for Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) developed into a fiery back-and-forth similar to the popular reality show franchise.

The broadcaster dropped the Bravo reference after Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) faced off with Mullin over whether he was the right person to lead the Department of Homeland Security after the nominee approved of a violent attack against the Kentucky Republican. Mullin, who President Donald Trump has selected to replace outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, was grilled by Paul and other senators in a series of tough questions about his anger, temperament and concerns over his "classified work" outside the United States.

"Back with my panel meanwhile, on the Real Housewives of the U.S. Senate, this is, you know, I mean, it's actually, it is a serious issue that Rand Paul is trying to get at, which he said is, you know, character and that questioning whether he has anger issues," Bash said.

Paul has threatened to cancel his vote to approve Mullin for the DHS job.

"It was also noteworthy that Senator Mullin brought with him his now friend, Sean O'Brien, the head of the Teamsters, who sat right within camera shot because one of the reasons why people first learned of Senator Mullin is when he almost got into a fistfight with Mr. O'Brien when Senator Mullin was asking him questions at a hearing they smoked the peace pipe — metaphorically — they are now friends," Bash said. "And so there's no question in my mind that that's why he had O'Brien back there because he knew what was coming from Rand Paul."

'A freaking snake': GOP senator unloads on fellow Republican colleague Rand Paul

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) unloaded on his fellow Republican Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) at an event in his home state.

The Oklahoma Republican expressed frustration with Paul's intransigence during debates over spending bills, and he warned that President Donald Trump wanted the GOP-led Congress to get an appropriation bill passed and took some personal shots at his colleague, reported veteran journalist David Arnett on his "Straight Up" Substack page.

“The question is why did I vote to give illegals more money? I didn’t," Mullin said. "The president made it very clear he wanted appropriation bills passed. If any amendment passes, it kills the whole bill. Rand Paul’s amendment sounds good, right? The problem is Rand knew that if that bill passed, it would kill the other 11 appropriation bills, which would throw us into the shutdown."

"Rand doesn’t ever vote with [Republicans] when it comes to appropriation bills," the senator added. "I had to vote against it because if that would have passed, not only would it have killed the bill, but it would also have killed the farm bill which is tied to social programs. If you change the ratio (about 70/30) you must redo the entire farm bill."

Mullin complained that Paul was holding the bill hostage to help his constituents.

“What Rand was trying to do was trying to kill the farm bill because he’s trying to legalize hemp for drinks in Kentucky because of tobacco industry shifts," Mullin said. "There is always a backstory."

Mullin then referred to a 2017 incident in which Paul was violently attacked by a neighbor, who got eight months in prison and was ordered to pay $580,000 in damages.

“I respect Bernie Sanders because he’s an open socialist, and you know that he’s a communist so you know what you’re getting," Mullin said. "Rand Paul’s a freaking snake, and I understand completely why his neighbor did what he did, and I told him that to his face."

Trump's 'flamethrower' attack on House Republican's new wife backfires after flub

President Donald Trump attempted to hurl an attack on a rebel Republican foe on Monday, but his accusation was actually incorrect.

Trump was complaining about Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a vocal critic of Trump, and his new wife in an accusation and was called out for missing a key detail about her.

Trump wrote the following on his Truth Social platform:

"People are saying that Thomas Massie became a Liberal because his new wife, blessed be their marriage, is supposedly a Radical Left 'flamethrower.' This new union all went so fast that maybe he didn’t know what he was getting into but, nevertheless, he is an absolutely terrible and unreliable 'Republican' — Perhaps a RINO, or maybe even worse! Ed Gallrein, a Farmer and War Hero, is running against Massie. He is a HIGH QUALITY individual, and there is no Candidate for Congress that could be better. He is running because he realizes Thomas Massie has been totally disloyal to the President of the United States, and the Republican Party. He never votes for us, he always goes with the Democrats. Thomas Massie is a Complete and Total Disaster, we must make sure he loses, BIG!"

Eric Michael Garcia, Washington Bureau chief at The Independent and MS NOW columnist, posted on Bluesky to set the record straight.

"Trump blames Thomas Massie’s wife for him becoming 'Radical Left ‘flamethrower.' Carolyn Grace Moffa worked for Rand Paul," Garcia wrote.

This wasn't the first time Trump had tried to send Massie a venomous message. After Massie, a widower, announced his new marriage in October, Trump attacked him, rather than congratulate him or send flowers.

At the time, Trump wrote this on Truth Social:

"Did Thomas Massie, sometimes referred to as Rand Paul Jr., because of the fact that he always votes against the Republican Party, get married already??? Boy, that was quick! No wonder the Polls have him at less than an 8% chance of winning the Election. Anyway, have a great life Thomas and (?). His wife will soon find out that she’s stuck with a LOSER!"

Massie, a Libertarian-leaning Republican congressman from Kentucky, has frequently clashed with Trump over various policy issues, including foreign aid, military spending, and government oversight, despite generally supporting Trump's anti-establishment rhetoric. He has been critical of Trump on specific issues such as the spending bills and foreign military assistance, positioning himself as a fiscal conservative who prioritizes constitutional limits on executive power and government spending regardless of which party controls the White House.

Massie, along with his co-sponsor Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), helped pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the legislation that forced the DOJ to release the Epstein files.

He has accused Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche of lying about an effort of several lawmakers to review unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files, an alleged lie that Massie subsequently provided “receipts” to disprove.

2 top Trump officials may be forced to testify after ICE killing

Two top Trump administration officials could be forced to testify after an ICE agent killed 37-year-old mother Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, according to reports Friday.

Senate Homeland Security Committee Democrats were urging Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to call on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House border czar Tom Homan to testify before the committee, CBS reported.

In a letter Thursday, Democratic lawmakers on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee called on Rand to consider holding hearings and even issuing potential subpoenas, alleging that the Department of Homeland Security has "completely neglected its responsibility to fairly and transparently investigate these federal agents’ actions. We urge you to conduct needed oversight of the Department."

The letter was in response to growing protests in Minnesota and across the U.S., where lawmakers argued DHS has sent an "unprecedented number of federal agents." They questioned recent ICE agent tactics, including masked agents using unmarked vehicles to conduct operations, which the lawmakers have said has increased confusion and fear among community members.

Lawmakers argued that not only should Noem and Homan should be brought to testify, but in addition, so should ICE acting director Todd Lyons, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott, Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino should be called before the committee.

The senators also pointed to Noem, who had claimed that "no American citizens have been arrested or detained," even though a number of lawsuits, court rulings and reports have shown that's not the case. They also described how Noem's response to Good's killing was to accuse her of committing an act of domestic terrorism.

They argued that "this Administration is creating a false narrative by labeling citizens carrying out their First Amendment rights and protesting thisAdministration’s actions as domestic terrorists."

'Wrong to weigh in': GOP senator condemns FCC chair's 'absolutely inappropriate' move

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) condemned Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr after he pushed Disney to take late-night host Jimmy Kimmel off the air.

In a Sunday interview on NBC, host Kristen Welker noted that Carr had reacted to the shooting of Charlie Kirk by threatening Disney.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr said at the time. "These companies can find ways to change conduct to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or, you know, there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."

Paul called the remarks "absolutely inappropriate."

"Brennan Carr has got no business weighing in on this," the Republican senator insisted. "But people have to also realize that despicable comments, you have the right to say them, but you don't have the right to employment."

"You can be fired," he continued. "So the FCC should have nothing to do with it."

"The government's got no business in it, and the FCC was wrong to weigh in, and I'll fight any attempt by the government to get involved with speech."

'Wow': Onlookers stunned as Rand Paul 'takes JD Vance to school' with brutal takedown

Observers were shocked this weekend after Rand Paul, a Republican senator, delivered a brutal takedown of Vice President JD Vance.

Raw Story reported late Saturday that Paul took on Vance, who claimed he doesn't "give a s---" when someone said Vance might have been inadvertently endorsing war crimes on social media.

Paul replied to Vance's statement in part by writing, "What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial."

The attack on his own Republican ex-colleague had the internet abuzz, with New York Times journalist Glenn Thrush replying on Sunday with, "Wow."

Republicans against Trump wrote, "Thank you for your moral clarity on this. JD Vance is a despicable and cynical politician."

PatriotTakes, which purports to track right-wing extremism, asked Paul, "How do we know there were not any human trafficking victims on that boat?"

Former prosecutor Ron Filipkowski commented, "When even Rand Paul thinks you’re despicable."

Veteran John Jackson chimed in, "Getting called out by Rand Paul is a helluva thing."

"He’s totally correct," Jackson added.

Former Republican declared, "Rand Paul is right."

"The Trump administration must be held accountable for murder," they added.

Devin Duke said, "I don't usually agree with Rand Paul but he takes JD Vance to school here."

"JD has become a rabid power lusting maniac since becoming VP," Duke then added.

Conservative attorney and anti-Trump activist George Conway said, "You are absolutely correct, Senator. Thank you for speaking with such moral clarity here."