President Donald Trump has ‘every right’ to withhold aid to Ukraine, or from any country, where he thinks corruption is taking place, Republican Senator Rand Paul said over the weekend.
“Every politician in Washington is trying to manipulate Ukraine to their purposes,” the grassroots right-wing Senator from Kentucky said.
“I think we’ve gotten lost in this whole idea of quid pro quo,” Paul argued during an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ over the weekend.
Transcripts from the House Democrat-led impeachment inquiry against President Trump have revealed that some administration officials think Trump withheld US military aid for Ukraine until the country opened an investigation into Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who was given a lucrative position on the board of a Ukrainian energy company.
Democrats allege this constitutes proof that there was quid pro quo involved in Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Zelensky.
“If you’re not allowed to give aid to people who are corrupt, there are always contingencies on aid,” the Kentucky senator argued.
“Well, if it’s corruption and he believes there to be corruption, he has every right to withhold aid,” Paul said.
“Presidents have withheld aid before for corruption. I think it’s a mistake to say, ‘Oh, he withheld aid until he got what he wanted.’”
Despite his arguments in support of the president, Senator Paul, who will act as a juror in the Senate trial if Trump is impeached by the House, argued that the Trump administration was making a “mistake” in arguing that the president didn’t engage in a quid pro quo.
“Every politician in Washington other than me, virtually, is trying to manipulate Ukraine to their purposes,” he said.
“Menendez tried it, Murphy tried it, Biden tried it, Trump’s tried it — they’re all doing it. They are all trying to manipulate Ukraine to get some kind of investigation, either end an investigation or start an investigation.” he declared.
Senator Paul mentioned that he opposes sending aid to Ukraine entirely.
“I wouldn’t give them the aid because we don’t have the money,” the senator said. “We have to actually borrow the money from China to send it to Ukraine, so I’m against the aid and I think it’s a mistake to do the aid so I wouldn’t have played any of these games.”
I wonder how the DEMOCRATS feel to be LOSERS even BEFORE this “impeachment inquiry” started (especially with the CRIMES committed against POTUS Trump and (hopefully) PRISON sentences afterwards for TREASON and SEDITION)? The REAL losers would be SENILE Pelosi, Nadler and dog pile SCHIFF as they are LED away in HANDCUFFS awaiting prison sentences. TREASON and SEDITION are VERY serious crimes. Team Trump and his allies 2020 – KAGA (Keep America Great Again).
I seriously cannot believe that this is happening, the entire Democratic Party should be arrested and tried for treason, for going to any length up to and including fraud, in an attempt to wrongfully remove our elected POTUS. AFTER 2 YEARS nonstop with the b.s. Mueller investigation, to this ridiculous complaint that was obviously the closest thing to a crime that they’ve been able to find, despite about 5 years nonstop investigation …..
Do you mean patriots for Trump and Putin Dictatorships!
Thank you Rand Paul!
Menendez tried it. Murphy tried it. Biden tried it. Maybe so, but none of them are president. When the president of the United States tries it, it’s impeachable. Trump didn’t try it for general corruption, he tried to ask Zelensky to dig up dirt on the Bidens. That’s wrong. That’s impeachable. Rand, you refuse to see the facts!