Reminder of whose side Senator Rand Paul is on

[MelissaB]

"He didn't sell secrets to the Russians, he wasn't a traitor," Paul said about Snowden

Link to tweet

Rand Paul defends Edward Snowden before meeting Brett Kavanaugh

... snip

The Kentucky Republican, a swing vote whose opposition could block Kavanaugh, was not pressed for his views on the nomination during a Tuesday event hosted by the Fund for American Studies. But one student asked about Snowden, who exposed the NSA's bulk collection of domestic call records – a program at the heart of Paul's unease with Kavanaugh.

"He didn't sell secrets to the Russians, he wasn't a traitor. He revealed something that revealed the highest ranking member of our intelligence community lied. I think he did it as a whistle-blower, he was reporting malfeasance," Paul said.

Paul, who previously joked about Snowden sharing a prison cell with former intelligence director James Clapper, whose inaccurate testimony Snowden exposed, doubled down after polling students, finding a similar number viewed Snowden as a traitor and a whistleblower.

"I don't see him as a traitor at all," Paul added about Snowden, saying later, "People have to decide on Snowden. My preference has become stronger and stronger that he was revealing the government was lying to us in a big way." Paul said he'd like to see a deal struck where Snowden can return from Russia without a long prison sentence.

More: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/rand-paul-defends-edward-snowden-before-meeting-brett-kavanaugh

[sunonmars]

1. All I know is he isn't on America's or our side....he comes from a family of traitors.