LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul is leading the charge to block the impeachment of former President Donald Trump on a charge of inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Paul told WDRB News he is fighting the Senate trial because he believes it is unconstitutional to impeach someone who is no longer in office.
"It's a big question whether or not we can impeach a former President or a private citizen, and I think it could lead to mischief," said Paul.
"They say this time, 'Well at least it was somebody who was president.' But the precedent here that they're actually setting is that you can impeach a non-official. You can impeach a private citizen, and I think that's very worrisome that the government could go after a private citizen."
In fact, Paul forced a vote in the Senate on Tuesday to declare the impeachment unconstitutional, blasting that he called, "…angry, unhinged partisans who are putting forth this sham impeachment."
The Senate rejected Paul's motion 55-45, but the vote signaled that there are likely not enough votes to convict Trump.
Paul said he is opposing the impeachment not because he agrees with Trump's effort to overturn the results of the Electoral College.
"I was on the other side of this issue," Paul said. "I think it was a wrong-headed, bad thing."
But Paul said does not believe Trump intended to incite the attack.
"He said, 'Go fight for your country, and let your voices be heard in a peaceful and patriotic way.' I don't know how that can possibly be considered to be violent speech," said Paul.
Paul said if all politicians were held to the same standard, many would face impeachment for inflammatory remarks.
"If we hold political speech to be responsible for crazy people's violence, we're going to have a country where you lock up every other president, and you're putting politicians in jail all the time," he said.
Paul pointed to Democrats who voiced support for racial justice protests even after a few turned violent.
"For example, the Vice President, Kamala Harris, has recommended helping bail out people who were burning the cities. There's a fund up in Minnesota. She was supportive of this fund to bail out people who were violently protesting in the cities, and is that encouraging violence? Now I would have never said you should impeach Kamala Harris."
WDRB asked Paul how he could equate the Black Lives Matter protests to the attack on the Capitol.
"Well, I think violence is violence," he said.
Paul went on to recount the story of how a supporter of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders attacked Republican senators during practice for the congressional baseball game, critically wounding Sen. Steve Scalise.
"Bernie Sanders and other Democrats were saying that the Republican plan for healthcare was, 'You get sick, and then you die,'" said Paul. "And when this crazy supporter of Bernie Sanders rushed onto the field with a gun, he said, 'This is for healthcare.' I didn't blame him [Sanders] that time. I haven't advocated impeaching Bernie Sanders."
Paul said it is time to convict those who committed the violence, and move on from the 2020 election.
"I guarantee there are people in Louisville, who want the election to be over, and are tired of hearing about all the fighting in Washington and would like to hear what we might try to get accomplished," said Paul. "And impeachment isn't helping us get along."
Paul said his opposing to Trump's impeachment is not about positioning himself for another run at the White House in 2024.
"I am going to run for re-election in 2022 in Kentucky, and I have thought about that. But I really don't think about what I do, my political positions, on how it would affect elections."
Paul said he would take the same position if the president was a Democrat.
"If the roles were completely reversed, and there had been a Black Lives Matter violent riot in DC, that Biden had called for at the end of his term, I would not be for impeaching Biden either."
The entire interview can be viewed here.
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