Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said he will ask President-elect Joe Biden’s choice for secretary of state, Tony Blinken, to apologize for supporting the war in Iraq.
In a Tuesday interview with Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto, Paul criticized a few of Biden’s cabinet picks, especially Blinken, a longtime Biden adviser. Biden announced Monday that Blinken would serve as his secretary of state. Paul said he is very concerned about foreign policy under the Biden administration.
“On foreign policy, I am very worried that there will be a big shift, and it’s back to those who believe that we should militarily intervene abroad in a big way. You have neoconservatives on the right who wants to intervene for geopolitical reasons, but then you have liberals, like Blinken and Samantha Power and others, who want to intervene for humanitarian reasons,” Paul said in the interview.
Paul went on to say that he will ask Blinken to apologize for supporting the war in Iraq and also ask him if he still believes that regime change in the Middle East is smart.
“But, nevertheless, they want to send our armies and our young men and women around the world. And I think Blinken is a bad choice. I’m going to ask him if he’s going to apologize for his support of the Iraq War and what lessons he learned from it, whether he still believes regime change in the Middle East is a good idea, which it was not a good idea. It was not a good idea in Libya either or in Syria,” Paul continued.
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“I don’t think Biden or Blinken have really fully understood that. And I actually do think President Trump really did get that, that regime change in the Middle East hasn’t made us stronger,” Paul said. (RELATED: Sen. Hawley Slams Biden Cabinet Picks — Calls Them ‘Corporatists’, ‘War Enthusiasts’)
Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley slammed Biden’s cabinet picks Tuesday, calling the six people selected so far several names and singling out Blinken. (RELATED: Former Acting ICE Director Tom Homan Says ‘Cartels Are Celebrating’ Biden Presidency)
The Missouri Republican said Blinken “has backed every endless war since the Iraq invasion.” Hawley also said: “Now he works for #BigTech and helps companies break into #China. He has no sense of what working Americans want or need”.