Paul campaign: CBS ‘disgraceful,’ ‘in their arrogance, may think they can choose the next president’

Steven Nelson Associate Editor
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Supporters of Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul’s presidential campaign frequently express displeasure with what they perceive to be the marginalization of their candidate and his message.

On Saturday evening, Paul campaign chairman Jesse Benton unloaded a sharply worded rebuke of CBS News, the co-host of Saturday’s GOP primary debate with the National Journal, for providing Paul virtually no time to speak.

“Congressman Paul was only allocated 90 seconds of speaking in one televised hour,” wrote Benton. “CBS’s treatment of Congressman Paul is disgraceful, especially given that tonight’s debate centered on foreign policy and national security.”

Benton listed Paul’s varied credentials on the subject matter, including that he is a veteran and serves on the House Foreign Relations Committee.

“And, Congressman Paul has contrasting views on foreign policy that many Americans find worthy of inquiry and discussion,” wrote Benton. (RELATED: Paul suggests Cain, Bachmann have ‘un-American’ beliefs on torture)

“CBS News, in their arrogance, may think they can choose the next president,” Benton fumed. “Fortunately, the people of Iowa, New Hampshire, and across America get to vote and not the media elites.”

In his statement, Benton noted that Paul frequently places third in Iowa and New Hampshire primary polls, and also regularly attracts one of the primary field’s top fundraising hauls.

In the time that Paul did speak during the debate, he said that Congress must approve any American military strike on Iran, expressed displeasure with mounting “war propaganda” and declared that torture was “un-American.”

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