Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) defended his actions prior to the brief government shutdown early Friday morning in an op-ed for Time magazine.
Paul delayed the Senate vote on a spending package past midnight by giving a speech sharply critical of his colleagues, later calling for a debate on whether government spending caps should be lifted.
This, Paul wrote, prompted so much furor from “Big Government advocates in Congress and in the media” it was as if he “had asked them to shut down forever.”
“No. I didn’t want them to shut down at all,” Kentucky’s junior senator wrote. “Not really. I simply wanted them to act like their spending matters. Like the voices of the people elected to serve matter. Like the process matters.”
Railing against “free-spending leaders,” including those in his own party who professed to be fiscally conservative, he proclaimed: “I wasn’t elected to be anyone’s rubber stamp.” – READ MORE
[divider][/divider]Actress and comic Bette Midler reacted to Sen. Rand Paul’s effort to stall Senate passage of the massive spending budget by urging an attack on him like the November assault by a neighbor that caused severe injuries.
Where’s Rand Paul’s neighbor when we need him?
— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) February 9, 2018
During Paul’s floor challenge to the budget, hailed by deficit hawks, Midler tweeted: “Where’s Rand Paul’s neighbor when we need him?”
One of Paul’s top aides, Sergio Gor tweeted back, “This is disgusting @BetteMidler calling for violence. She should be ashamed.”
This is disgusting @BetteMidler calling for violence. She should be ashamed. pic.twitter.com/9LwagDvq4F
— Sergio Gor (@SergioGor) February 9, 2018
Midler’s tweet was an apparent reference to Rene A. Boucher, 58, of Bowling Green, Ky., who has admitted to a sneak attack on Paul as he did yard work, upset at the job the senator was doing. – READ MORE
[give_form id=”79809″]Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) said on Friday that he could understand why Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) neighbor, who attacked him last year, was annoyed with him after Paul blocked a deal from keeping the government open on Thursday.
“When Rand Paul pulls a stunt like this, it easy to understand why it’s difficult to be Rand Paul’s next door neighbor,” Dent told Politico. “The whole delay and filibuster exercise on the budget agreement is utterly pointless.”
The congressman was referring to an incident last year in which Paul’s neighbor Rene Boucher attacked Paul, breaking multiple ribs, in a landscaping dispute.
Boucher pleaded not guilty to a fourth-degree assault charge and faces up to a year in jail if convicted. – READ MORE