Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Newsmax on Tuesday he blames Secretary of State Marco Rubio for convincing President Donald Trump that regime change is necessary in Venezuela.
On "Rob Schmitt Tonight," Paul continued to express his opposition to bombing boats in the Caribbean believed to be carrying illicit drugs from Venezuela.
"The Constitution is pretty clear that war only occurs when Congress votes on it," Paul said.
"We also have very clear rules in our country that say that when someone is out of combat or has been bombed into submission, if they're clinging from the wreckage of a boat, if they are shipwrecked, if they're hanging from a parachute, and they're helpless, that they are no longer in combat and are not eligible to be killed," he added.
Paul noted that previous supporters of the attacks such as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and The Wall Street Journal have expressed opposition to bombing shipwreck survivors.
"I don't like ... pinning the blame on the military," Paul said. "They have a tough job as it is."
"I think if there is blame to go around here, if someone bombed someone who was shipwrecked, that should go to the person who created the policy, not necessarily the soldier who's trying to do his job," he added.
Paul said there are many bad authoritarian dictators like Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro around the world.
"Should we use that kind of force to get rid of President Xi [Jinping] from China? Should we use that kind of force to get rid of half a dozen tin-pot dictators around the world?" he said.
The senator said one of the reasons he supported Trump was because he had always opposed regime change in Iran and Libya.
"And if you have to have war, it should be done in a constitutional fashion," Paul said. "It should go to Congress, and Congress should declare the war."
Paul blamed Rubio for the conflict with Venezuela.
"Marco Rubio has always wanted to have regime change in Venezuela, and I think he's giving him [Trump] bad advice, giving him bad advice," Paul said.
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Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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