Rachel Maddow Doesn’t Hold Back In This Epic Takedown Of Fake Maverick Rand Paul

Rachel Maddow utterly obliterated Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul on Monday after he pulled a complete 180 and decided to support Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of State.

Maddow said that despite Sen. Paul’s frequent grandstanding, he always folds like a cheap tent and tows the party line when it matters most.

Monday’s vote to advance Pompeo out of committee – essentially guaranteeing his eventual confirmation – is no exception.

Video:

Maddow tore into Rand Paul’s phony maverick schtick:

Up until the last minute, Mike Pompeo was set to become the first ever Secretary of State nominee to be voted down by the foreign relations committee in the Senate. Pompeo, however, was saved that indignity at the last moment, when – you guessed it – Senator Rand Paul once again decided that while he likes all the attention he gets for saying he’ll be a no vote on an important Republican priority, ultimately he wouldn’t vote no at all, not if it actually has real-world consequences. Senator Rand Paul has made a profession of this in Washington, over and over and over again. Senator Rand Paul, as soon as you hear about this pattern, you don’t even have to hear his name before you know it’s him. He pledges to do a maverick thing for what he declares is a principled reason, and everybody in Washington writes about what a principled maverick he is and how unafraid he is to defy his party. But then, in the end, he never actually defies his party. Not when it comes to vote, not when it comes to actually taking an action, not if it actually might mean something. So if you were swayed by all those headlines he’s been rolling around in for months – he’ll do whatever it takes to stop Mike Pompeo – don’t feel bad about falling for it. You’re not alone. Rand Paul is very good at this particular trick.

Rand Paul again had a chance to do something meaningful, but said, “No thanks.”

As Rachel Maddow said on Monday, the Kentucky Senator could have made Mike Pompeo the first Secretary of State nominee to be rejected by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – and for good reason, too.

Pompeo has a history of dangerous anti-gay and anti-Muslim positions. Having someone with these views represent the United States is a step in the wrong direction and will only embolden America’s enemies.

Not to mention, as Jason Easley wrote earlier this month, Pompeo couldn’t even answer questions during his hearing about Russian election hacking or Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

If there was ever a moment for Rand Paul to take a principled position on something – a moment for him to stand up to this dangerous president – today would have been the time.

Instead, Rand Paul once again demonstrated that he isn’t a maverick. He’s a fraud. And he’ll do anything to get some free TV time before falling right into line with Donald Trump and the rest of his spineless Republican colleagues.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.

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