Datasets:

yanekyuk

/

wikikey-en

like 0

He has said that he blames supporters of the Iraq War and not President Obama for the growth in violence that occurred in 2014, and that the Iraq War "emboldened" Iran.

Rand_Paul

Dick Cheney, John McCain and Rick Perry responded by calling Paul an isolationist,but Paul has pointed to opinion polls of likely GOP primary voters as support for his position.

Rand_Paul

In 2011, shortly after being elected, Paul proposed a budget which specified $542 billion in defense spending.

Rand_Paul

In 2015, he called for a defense budget of $697 billion.

Rand_Paul

Referring to ISIS, Paul stated: "I personally believe that this group would not be in Iraq and would not be as powerful had we not been supplying their allies in the war [against Syrian Bashar al-Assad's government].

Rand_Paul

"Paul then supported airstrikes against ISIS, but questioned the constitutionality of Obama's unilateral actions without a clear congressional mandate.

Rand_Paul

Paul has stated concerns about arms sent to Syrian rebels that wind up in unfriendly hands.

Rand_Paul

In December 2018 he supported President Trump's decision to pull the US army out from the Syrian Civil war.

Rand_Paul

In 2016, Paul was one of the first members of Congress to come out in opposition to United States support for the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.

Rand_Paul

In June 2017, Paul tried to block Trump administration's plan to sell more weapons to Saudi Arabia.

Rand_Paul

In April 2018, he again criticized the U.S.-Saudi Arabia alliance, highlighting that "Saudi Arabia has funded radical madrassas, teaching hatred of America throughout the world, and that Saudi Arabia also supplied arms to ISIS in the Syrian civil war.

Rand_Paul

"Paul said that U.S.-backed Saudi blockade of Yemen has further aggravated the humanitarian crisis in the country.

Rand_Paul

Paul, like his father, has also been a critic of neoconservatism,and urged Trump to not choose prominent neoconservative Elliott Abrams to serve as Deputy Secretary of State.

Rand_Paul

In April 2018, Paul voted for the confirmation of Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State.

Rand_Paul

Paul had previously insisted that he would not confirm Pompeo, citing Pompeo's hawkish foreign policy beliefs.

Rand_Paul

In June 2019, Paul criticized the Trump administration for escalating tensions with Iran.

Rand_Paul

Said Paul: "One of the things I like about President Trump is that he said the Iraq War was a mistake.

Rand_Paul

I think an Iran war would be even a bigger mistake than the Iraq War.

Rand_Paul

"In January 2020 he criticized the U.S. airstrike on Baghdad International Airport which killed high-level Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

Rand_Paul

Paul stated that the attack will increase tensions between the two countries.

Rand_Paul

On June 12, 2017, U.S. senators reached an agreement on legislation imposing new sanctions on Russia and Iran.

Rand_Paul

The bill was opposed only by Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders.

Rand_Paul

In July 2018, shortly after 12 Russian intelligence officers have been charged with hacking and leaking emails of senior Democrats, he described the Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election as a "witch hunt on the president".

Rand_Paul

That same month, Paul blocked a Senate resolution that backed the intelligence community's assessment of Russian election interference and that called on President Trump to speak with special counsel Robert Mueller.

Rand_Paul

In August 2018 Paul traveled to Moscow and met with several Russian senators, including Sergey Kislyak.

Rand_Paul

In May 2019, Paul opposed the decision of the Senate Intelligence committee, chaired by Republican Senator Richard Burr, to subpoena Donald Trump Jr., a close friend of Paul's, to testify in front of Congress about his involvement with Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Rand_Paul

In July 2018, Paul was among only two Senators to vote against a Senate motion supporting NATO.

Rand_Paul

On July 1, 2020, the Senate rejected Paul's amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act which would have required the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Afghanistan within a year and brought an end to the 19-year war.

Rand_Paul

On May 12, 2022, Paul stopped a vote on a $40 billion spending bill for aid to support the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, objecting that it would be the second spending bill for this purpose, and is 3 times larger than the first.

Rand_Paul

Paul has focused on criminal justice reform as a legislative priority.

Rand_Paul

He introduced the Justice Safety Valve Act in 2013 to provide judges with greater sentencing flexibility,the Civil Rights Voting Restoration Act in 2014 to restore voting rights for non-violent felons,the REDEEM Act in 2014 to allow sealing and expungement for non-violent crimes,the FAIR Act in 2014 to rein in police use of civil asset forfeiture,the RESET Act in 2014 to address the crack sentencing disparity and how drugs are weighed,the Police CAMERA Act in 2015 to increase the use of body cameras by police,the Stop Militarizing Our Law Enforcement Act in 2015 to reduce the use of military equipment by police,the MERCY Act in 2015 to restrict the use of solitary confinement on juveniles,the Pretrial Integrity and Safety Act in 2017 to encourage states to reform bail policies,the Pregnant Women in Custody Act in 2018 to protect the health and safety of pregnant women in prison,and the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act in 2020 to end the use of no-knock warrants.

Rand_Paul

Paul says policies such as the war on drugs and mandatory minimum sentencing have particularly harmed minorities.

Rand_Paul

In 2020, Paul held up bipartisan legislation that would make lynching a federal crime.

Rand_Paul

Paul said that he thought lynching should be "universally condemned", but wanted an amendment to clarify that the causation of non-fatal injuries would not be considered lynching.

Rand_Paul

Paul was one of six Republican Senators to vote no on expanding the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which would allow the U.S. Justice Department to review hate crimes related to COVID-19 and establish an online database.

Rand_Paul

On May 28, 2021, Paul voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the 2021 United States Capitol attack.

Rand_Paul

On cannabis legalization, Paul says the issue should be left up to the states and that "you ought to be able to pretty much do what you want to do as long as you don't hurt somebody else".

Rand_Paul

Regarding medical use, Paul has endorsed efforts to legalize in Kentuckyand introduced the CARERS Act in 2015 to legalize medical cannabis at the federal level.

Rand_Paul

Paul has also supported states' rights-focused cannabis legislation, introducing the Rohrabacher–Farr amendment in 2014,cosponsoring the STATES Act in 2018,and introducing other amendments.

Rand_Paul

Paul introduced the Marijuana Businesses Access to Banking Act in 2015 to allow cannabis businesses increased access to banks.

Rand_Paul

Regarding industrial hemp cultivation, Paul has supported efforts to legalize in Kentuckyand at the federal level as well, introducing the Industrial Hemp Farming Act in 2013.

Rand_Paul

In 2020 he introduced the Hemp Economic Mobilization Plan (HEMP) Act to increase the THC limit of hemp from 0.3% to 1%.

Rand_Paul

As a critic of warrantless surveillance of Americans, Paul says "the Fourth Amendment is equally as important as the Second Amendment" and has called for conservatives to more strongly defend Fourth Amendment rights.

Rand_Paul

In 2015 Paul spoke for ten and a half hours on the Senate floor against renewing provisions of the PATRIOT Act that he said were unconstitutional.

Rand_Paul

Paul has called Edward Snowden a "whistleblower" and called for Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to resign for "lying" about the phone metadata program that Snowden exposed.

Rand_Paul

He also filed a class action lawsuit against the Obama administration seeking to end the program.

Rand_Paul

Paul gave a speech at the University of California, Berkeley in 2014 titled "The N.S.A.

Rand_Paul

vs.

Rand_Paul

Your Privacy".

Rand_Paul

Paul has not definitively accepted the scientific consensus on climate change, which states that global warming is real, progressing, and primarily caused by humans.

Rand_Paul

Paul has said pollution emissions are subject to "onerous regulation.

Rand_Paul

"In 2018, Paul called for an investigation of a National Science Foundation grant that went towards educating meteorologists about the science of climate change.

Rand_Paul

Paul said the grant was "not science" but "propagandizing".

Rand_Paul

Paul has spread false claims about the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

Rand_Paul

In 2009, Paul was interviewed by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and suggested mandatory vaccination would be akin to martial law.

Rand_Paul

On February 2, 2015, he told conservative radio host Laura Ingraham regarding vaccinations, that "most of them ought be voluntary".

Rand_Paul

His remarks generated controversy by suggesting that states should not require parents to vaccinate their children, because parents should have the freedom to make that decision for their children.

Rand_Paul

Later that day, in an interview with CNBC, Paul clarified this statement, commenting "I'm not arguing vaccines are a bad idea.

Rand_Paul

I think they are a good thing, but I think the parent should have some input.

Rand_Paul

The state doesn't own your children.

Rand_Paul

Parents own the children, and it is an issue of freedom.

Rand_Paul

"Afterward, he added about vaccines, "I've heard of many tragic cases of walking, talking, normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines.

Rand_Paul

"On February 3, he posted a photograph to Twitter of himself being vaccinated.

Rand_Paul

In 2014, Paul argued that the Obama administration and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were downplaying the threat posed by Ebola virus in the United States.

Rand_Paul

Ultimately, nine people infected with Ebola returned to the United States, two nurses contracted the disease within the US, and two of the returning travelers died.

Rand_Paul

In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Paul said that stay-at-home orders amounted to "dictatorship" by Kentucky's Democratic governor Andy Beshear.

Rand_Paul

Paul, an ophthalmologist, clashed with Anthony Fauci, an immunologist and infectious disease expert who is also the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,at a Senate committee hearing on September 23, 2020.

Rand_Paul

Paul asked Fauci if he had "second thoughts" about the CDC's mitigation recommendations, including mask-wearing and maintaining a six feet space of social distancing.

Rand_Paul

Paul said New York's high fatality rate showed that mitigation efforts were insufficient.

Rand_Paul

Fauci replied, "You've misconstrued that Senator, and you've done that repetitively in the past", saying that New York had succeeded in getting the virus under control by adhering to the CDC's clinical guidelines.

Rand_Paul

In May 2021, during President Biden's push to convince more Americans to be vaccinated, Paul said he personally was choosing not to get the COVID vaccine, justifying his decision by saying that "I've already had the disease and I have natural immunity" and that "in a free country ... each individual would get to make the medical decision.

Rand_Paul

"The US Center for Disease Control has determined that naturally acquired immunity to Covid wanes significantly after 4 months.

Rand_Paul

At Senate hearings in May and July 2021, Paul debated Anthony Fauci on the origin of COVID-19, gaining media attention for his concerns about the risks of lab work.

Rand_Paul

In July 2021, Fauci responded to Paul's allegations and called him a liar.

Rand_Paul

In August 2021, Paul was suspended from YouTube for a week under the company's misinformation policy after he published a video which falsely claims that masks are not effective.

Rand_Paul

Paul also released a video of himself calling on people to "resist" public health measures to halt the spread of COVID-19.

Rand_Paul

On August 11, 2021, Rand Paul disclosed that his wife Kelley Paul had purchased a stake in Gilead Sciences, which manufactures an antiviral drug used to treat COVID-19, on February 26, 2020.

Rand_Paul

On September 30, 2021, Paul challenged Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on the Biden administration's vaccine mandates by arguing that they are not needed for people who have been previously infected.

Rand_Paul

This despite the fact that studies show that Covid immunity decreases significantly four months after initial infection.

Rand_Paul

Paul supports repealing the Affordable Care Actand opposes universal healthcare, having once equated it to slavery.

Rand_Paul

In November 2019, Paul signed a pledge to support a constitutional amendment to limit senators to two terms; in January 2022 he announced he would seek a third term that year.

Rand_Paul

Paul is married to Kelley Paul (née Ashby), a freelance writer.

Rand_Paul

They were married on October 20, 1990, and have three sons, William (born 1992), Duncan, and Robert.

Rand_Paul

William and Duncan attended the University of Kentucky, while Robert attended a private school in the Washington, D.C.

Rand_Paul

They reside in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Rand_Paul

They are active members of the Presbyterian church.

Rand_Paul

On November 3, 2017, Paul was assaulted by a neighbor, Rene Boucher (then aged 59), a retired anesthesiologist.

Rand_Paul

Paul, who is deaf in one ear,was wearing noise-canceling headphones while mowing his lawn, reportedly enabling Boucher to tackle Paul without his own approach being noticed.

Rand_Paul

Boucher was arrested and charged with one count of fourth-degree assault and released on a $7,500 bond.

Rand_Paul

Paul sustained five broken ribs, of which three were displaced fractures.

Rand_Paul

In August 2019, part of Paul's lung required removal as a result of the injuries he suffered during the attack.

Rand_Paul

Boucher's attorney, Matthew Baker, described it as "a very regrettable dispute between two neighbors over a matter that most people would regard as trivial".

Rand_Paul

According to a memorandum filed by Baker the dispute was over Paul repeatedly leaving tree yard debris near his property line with his neighbor.

Rand_Paul

Rand Paul and his wife deny this, they claim that the "media" has "misrepresented" this "from the beginning" and that the attack was "politically motivated."

Rand_Paul

They claim that Boucher had threatened Donald Trump earlier and that he was "a vocal hater" of Trump and the GOP.

Rand_Paul

Boucher was originally charged in Kentucky state court,but was later charged in federal court, where he ultimately pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress.

Rand_Paul

The state-court charge was dismissed after Boucher pleaded guilty to the federal charge.

Rand_Paul

Boucher was initially sentenced to 30 days in prison, one year of probation, 100 hours of community service, and a $10,000 fine.

Rand_Paul

The federal prosecutors had sought a 21-month term and appealed the lenient sentence.

Rand_Paul

In September 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit vacated Boucher's sentence of 30 days, ruling it was unreasonably short, indicating "closer review" was in order, and the case was sent back to the lower court for resentencing.

Rand_Paul