Rand Paul blames rival Republican senator for Trump Venezuela interventions

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said that President Donald Trump is under the "thrall of Lindsey Graham" following the U.S. operation in Venezuela, according to audio of the remarks by the lawmaker that MeidasTouch's Acyn Torabi posted on X.

Paul said that after the first presidential debate in 2016, the Trump family told him that they liked him and the "idea of not being involved in foreign wars." 

"It was something I liked about Donald Trump," Paul said. "It was one of the things, whenever I had misgivings about something else, I would always come back and say, 'Well, he's the best we ever had.' Much better than the Bush's, who were war mad and wanted to be involved in all these crazy wars overseas... 'We're gonna make the world safe for democracy.' I never liked any of that. And I thought Trump was different, and so, it disappoints me, but he's under the... thrall of Lindsey Graham."

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Paul has described Trump's move to unilaterally depose Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro without seeking congressional approval for the attack as "disdainful." 

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a hawkish Republican from South Carolina, has strongly supported the president's action.

"This is Lindsey Graham. Lindsey Graham has gotten to the president who expressed — I saw a clip — there’s like 20 clips of [Trump] saying he’s not for regime change and how regime change has always gone wrong. Somehow they’ve convinced him it’s different if it’s in our hemisphere," Paul said to reporters Monday, according to The Hill.

Torabi also posted audio on X in which Paul can be heard quipping, "There should be a law" stipulating that Graham may only visit the White House "every other week" and may only meet with "mid-level people, not the president. And no more golf outings."

Graham was with Trump during a recent gaggle aboard Air Force One.

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The senator also recently posted a photo on X that showed him giving a thumbs-up while smiling alongside of Trump, who was holding a cap that read, "MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN."

Graham donned such a cap during an appearance on the Fox News Channel.

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Trump endorsed Graham for re-election last year.