Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney fired back at Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul on Twitter after he slammed Cheney for her “neocon” beliefs.
“Representative Liz Cheney has argued that the nature of military and foreign policy demands the unity of the singular executive and that the founders certainly did not intend, nor does history substantiate, the idea that Congress should legislate specific limits on the president’s powers in wartime,” Paul said Thursday.
Paul noted that “ironically,” Cheney authored an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would limit the president’s power to remove troops from war.
WATCH:
Sen. Rand Paul slams the “neocon” beliefs of Rep. Liz Cheney: “The philosophy of these people is about war and substantiating war and making sure that it becomes and is perpetual war.” pic.twitter.com/RQSOG5BEHj
— The Hill (@thehill) December 10, 2020
“I think what comes out of this is that the neoconservative philosophy isn’t so much about a unitary executive, isn’t so much about an all-powerful commander-in-chief – the philosophy of these people is about war, and substantiating war, and making sure that it becomes and is perpetual war,” Paul said. (RELATED: Trump Accuses Republicans Of Getting ‘Cold Feet’ On Abolishing Section 230)
“The neocon advocates for unlimited presidential war powers should own up to their hypocrisy and admit that their love of perpetual war trumps their oft-stated unitary executive theory,” the senator continued. “In reality, the neocons are enamored of their theory of unbounded presidential power only when that power is used to foment war. The minute a president decides to end war, the neocons’ true stripes are exposed as they beat their chests and proclaim, as 535 generals might, that the president will not be allowed to remove troops without Congressional permission.”
Cheney blamed Paul for holding up passage of the NDAA and made fun of his height in her response on Twitter.
.@RandPaul is currently holding up passage of the #NDAA, blaming America, and delaying hazardous duty pay to hundreds of thousands of our service members and their families. Inexcusable.
Rand and I do have one thing in common, though. We’re both 5’2” tall. https://t.co/l0XebRLW3Q
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) December 10, 2020
“@RandPaul is currently holding up passage of the #NDAA, blaming America, and delaying hazardous duty pay to hundreds of thousands of our service members and their families. Inexcusable,” Cheney wrote. “Rand and I do have one thing in common, though. We’re both 5’2″ tall.”
The NDAA, which authorizes a budget of $741 billion for defense spending, passed Tuesday in the House of Representatives with a bipartisan vote of 335 – 78. President Donald Trump has threatened to veto the bill unless Congress repeals Section 230, a provision that protects social media companies from being liable for the content posted on their sites.