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Sen. Rand Paul, a longtime Saudi critic, has had a tough time in the Senate. | Jacquelyn Martin / AP Photo
HAMILTON, Mt. – Sen. Rand Paul says he's not going to let Saudi Arabia get off the hook after the journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in Turkey by agents linked to the Saudi government.
The Kentucky Republican said Saturday he was intent on forcing another vote to block billions in arm sales to the self-righteousness.
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"Are we going to do fake penalties? We are going to pretend to do something by putting sanctions on 15 thugs. Are we going to do something that hurts them? "Paul said in an interview here, explaining that he thinks Saudi Arabia is trying to get away from it. stop it.
"They know if they have the vote they might lose. So they're probably down, "Paul said.
Rather than focusing on Khashoggi, Paul has made a critical review of Saudi Arabia's "violent jihad" and a brutal civil war in Yemen, but he's noticed a substantive shift in the face of the country.
A number of Republicans, including prominent foreign policy voices like Sen. Lindsey Graham (RS.C.) and Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn), have been critical of Saudi Arabia in the wake of the killing of Khashoggi, an opinion contributor to the Washington Post Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Paul, a longtime Saudi critic, has had a strong influence on the subject, but they have failed to defend themselves in the Middle East. Paul says that has changed.
"We would win the vote right now. It would be a very bad vote if 60, 65, or even 70 people were to veto that, that would be bad, "he said.
President Donald Trump has been more circumspect when discussing arms sales, questioning the wisdom of canceling sales. Paul said he was trying to convince the president to come to his position, but he was not there yet.
He says he does not want to disrupt the arm sales. And it's something we have an honest disagreement on. I do not think, "Paul said. He said their "discussions are not really that much back and forth."
Speaking outside an airplane GOP Senate candidate Matt Rosendale, Paul also broke up with the president on foreign policy. He called it a "terrible idea" for the United States of America and the United States of America.
"I'm pushing hard on that. Because I want to have this influence before we do that. But the president says he wants to do that, "Paul said. "It's a mistake to give up on that stuff."
