Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) continued to defend President Donald Trump on Sunday, insisting Trump was within his rights to withhold congressionally-approved military aid to Ukraine.
“Presidents, since the beginning of time, have resisted Congress,” the Kentucky Republican told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd. “And there’s been this sort of back-and-forth jockeying over what is sent.”
“But also, presidents have withheld aid before for corruption,” he continued. “So the thing is, I think it’s a mistake to say, ‘Oh, he withheld aid until he got what he wanted.’ Well, if it’s corruption, and he believes there to be corruption, he has every right to withhold aid.”
It’s Paul’s latest round of defense for Trump as House impeachment investigators dig into the President’s decision to delay the nearly $400 million in aid while pushing the Ukrainian president to announce an investigation into 2020 candidate Joe Biden and the DNC’s server.
Trump and his allies claimed Trump had done so to fight corruption in Ukraine regarding Biden and his son Hunter, though there is no evidence either of the Bidens did anything wrong.
Last week, Paul joined Trump at a campaign rally in Kentucky, during which the Republican senator echoed the President’s demand that the identity of the whistleblower at the heart of the impeachment investigation be exposed.
Watch Paul below:
WATCH: @SenRandPaul says "it is a big mistake for anybody to argue quid pro quo," and "there is always contingencies on aid" #MTP
"Every politician in Washington other than me, virtually, is trying to manipulate Ukraine to their purposes" pic.twitter.com/fVGR8D2UKY
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) November 10, 2019
