I remember the days when Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) more or less supported every move made by Donald Trump, but that was during the first term.
The second term has been a different story altogether.
Paul has opposed Trump on virtually everything, and now he is agreeing with Dems that ICE agents should be unmasked.
The opposition against Trump got started when the administration declared war on narco-terrorists.
Paul was completely against the strikes, saying they were “against all of our tradition.”
He might as well have accused Trump of summary executions, stating, “You have to present evidence. So all these people have been blown up without us knowing their name, without any evidence of a crime.”
He has not backed down from that stance, even going so far as to insinuate we are actually at war with Venezuela.
Trump has really been pushing the nationalization of our elections, something Democrats have also tried to do, which was rightfully blocked by the GOP.
In this case, it was not a surprise to see Paul disagree with Trump.
On the subject, he stated, “That’s not what the Constitution says about elections.” He later added, “But as far as the time, place and manner of elections, that, under the Constitution, is a state activity. So, I’m not for nationalizing it.”
Paul is absolutely right here, as our Constitution directly addresses this issue. The other reason not to back the plan is that if the GOP does this, when Dems get control, they will flip the rules to ensure they never lose power again. They will go fast and loose, and the country will pay the price. But above all else, this is a direct violation of our Constitution, and it should not be entertained.
As I have stated before, I know a lot of law enforcement, and I know a lot of military, and the wearing of masks on operations is not a new strategy.
For operators, they use this to protect themselves against terror threats. For officers, they do it to protect undercover agents as well as from being doxed and putting their families at risk, but Paul does not see it that way.
He stated, “I think that anonymity and wearing a mask leads to less responsible behavior. I’m not saying there might not be a value on the border where the cartels are running large and things are a little bit more murky, and mayors’ heads are being chopped off by the cartel. I have a little more sympathy there.”
He also hinted that ICE has gone rogue, sounding more like a Democrat than a Republican. There was a time when Paul and I saw eye-to-eye on most issues, but I think he is getting it wrong on two out of three here. With him and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) these days, I have to wonder if someone isn’t slipping something funny in the water in that state.
