Sen. Rand Paul asserted that all U.S. aid is conditional in a way
Sen. Rand Paul offered a striking assessment of the White House’s impeachment defense on Sunday, calling it “a big mistake” for Trump to continue denying the existence of a quid pro quo with Ukraine because, he asserted, all U.S. aid is conditional in a way.
The investigation has thus far sought to examine whether Trump abused his power by withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid for Ukraine until it announced investigations that could benefit him politically. But Paul contended on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that in some ways, there are always contingencies on U.S. foreign aid.
“I think it's a mistake to say, ‘Oh, he withheld aid until he got what he wanted,’” he said, suggesting Trump’s efforts to “manipulate” Ukraine, though ugly, were par for the course in Washington. “So I think it's a big mistake for anybody to argue quid pro quo; he didn't have quid pro quo. And I know that's what the administration's arguing. I wouldn't make that argument. I would make the argument that every politician in Washington, other than me, virtually, is trying to manipulate Ukraine to their purposes,” Paul claimed, rattling off the names of Democratic lawmakers whom he accused of being just as guilty as Trump.
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