During President Donald Trump's rally in Lexington, Kentucky Monday night, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) called on the mainstream media to "do your job" and print the name of the Ukrainian whistleblower. Fox News's Bret Baier asked Paul about his stance on protecting whistleblowers, especially based on comments in the past.
"What about the concern about protecting whistleblowers overall if you name this person suddenly jeopardizes other things?" Baier asked. "Let's go back. In 2014, Campaign for Liberty, founded by your dad [Ron Paul], you said this: 'We have so many millions of government contractors that when they see something wrong, they should be able to report it without repercussions.' Your dad should, 'We should praise our whistleblowers.'"
Paul agreed with his previous comments and explained how this situation with the Ukrainian whistleblower differed from when former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden stepped forward and revealed global surveillance programs being carried out by the NSA and the Five Eyes International Alliance.
"Most of the people defending the current whistleblower wanted to execute or hang Snowden," he said.
According to Paul, Snowden should have received whistleblower status and been "protected so he is not executed."
"What about this guy?" Baier asked.
Paul explained that having whistleblower protections protects people from being fired. It's "not a protection to be anonymous, particularly if it's going to be a criminal case. Once you have a crime there is a Constitutional protection that you have to confront your accuser. There are no exceptions to. No court in the land will let there be a trial of President Trump without him confronting his accusers."
The Kentucky Senator said he still believes in expanding whistleblower protections so people come forward.
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"You shouldn't be fired. This person shouldn't be persecuted or put in jail but he should come forward like Edward Snowden and reveal himself and say what he think government did wrong," Paul explained.
Baier asked Paul where he thought the Democrats' impeachment inquiry was headed, which the senator acknowledged as a partisan move.
"I think it will be purely partisan. In the House no Republicans voted for this and I think no Republicans will vote for impeachment. In the Senate I am not aware of any senator, right now, that will vote for impeachment. There's no way 20 Republicans will vote for impeachment. I think in the end the American people will say, 'We should be fair," Paul explained.
He said both Democrats and Republicans have tried to influence the military aid Ukraine receives.
"Why should we impeach one side and give Joe Biden and Hunter Biden a pass?" Paul asked. "I think people want it to be fair. Right now we are only going after President Trump and that’s unfair."
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