Shots Fired in Great McCain-Paul War of 2017

McCain says Paul is 'working for' Putin; Paul says McCain is 'unhinged'
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 16, 2017 2:16 PM CDT
Shots Fired in Great McCain-Paul War of 2017
Senators Rand Paul and John McCain are beefing this week.   (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Infighting! We got GOP infighting here! Yahoo News reports senators Rand Paul and John McCain are having a bit of a tiff this week after McCain called Paul out on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday. McCain was seeking a vote on a Senate bill—expected to be widely supported—in favor of Montenegro's efforts to join NATO. According to Politico, 23 of 28 NATO member nations have already voted in favor of Montenegro joining—but Russia is strenuously opposed to it. McCain claimed anyone who didn't support the bill would be "carrying out the desires and ambitions of Vladimir Putin." After Paul blocked a vote on the bill and left the Senate, McCain went further, accusing Paul directly of "working for Vladimir Putin."

Paul responded to McCain's comments Thursday, and he didn't pull any punches. "I think maybe he's gotten a little bit unhinged," Paul said, adding that McCain "makes a really, really strong case for term limits." And he accused McCain of possibly being "past his prime." Paul justified his opposition to the Montenegro bill by saying that the US military has enough on its plate without possibly having to support the small country, the Hill reports. He also claimed NATO membership isn't supported by a majority of Montenegro citizens. Paul said being called a traitor for opposing the bill might be "a little over the top." Paul and McCain have clashed on foreign policy before, with Paul accusing McCain of wanting "war everywhere." (More John McCain stories.)

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