Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Friday told "Fox & Friends" about his confrontation with protesters following President Trump's RNC acceptance speech on the streets of Washington, D.C., characterizing the group as a "mob."
Worth noting: While protesters urged Paul to acknowledge Breonna Taylor, who was killed by police earlier this year in Louisville, the libertarian-leaning senator introduced a bill in June in her name to ban "no-knock" warrants like the one that was used by police in the incident that led to her death.
- Paul said that he could not immediately reach the Willard Hotel, located across the street from the White House, after the speech due to protest activity, so his group boarded a bus to the Trump International Hotel. They then tried to get an Uber back to the Willard, but could only get within two blocks due to street closures — prompting the decision to walk, which led to him being spotted by protesters.
What he's saying: "They all of a sudden saw me — right as we got to the policeman fortunately, or I don't think we'd have survived," Paul said.
- "They were shouting threats to us — to kill us, to hurt us — but also threats shouting, "Say her name, Breonna Taylor," and it's like you couldn't reason with this mob, but I'm actually the author of the Breonna Taylor law to end 'no-knock' raids. So the irony is lost on these idiots that they're trying to kill the person who's actually trying to get rid of 'no-knock' raids."
- "If the police are not there, if you defund the police, if we become Portland, if America becomes Portland, what's going to happen is people are going to be pummeled and kicked in the head and left senseless on the curb. That would have happened to us — I promise you — had we not had the D.C. Police to support us."