In a pretty contentious speech from the Senate floor, John McCain accused Rand Paul of “working for Vladimir Putin” after he objected to a vote to include the country of Montenegro in NATO.
McCain makes his case for inclusion, and says that the only reason anyone could object is if they were in the pocket of Putin. So Rand Paul objects!!
Watch below:
From the Daily Beast:
While speaking from the Senate floor in support of a bill advancing Montenegro’s bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), McCain noted objection from his Kentucky colleague, saying that if you oppose the measure, “You are achieving the objectives of Vladimir Putin… trying to dismember this small country which has already been the subject an attempted coup.”
McCain continued: “If they object, they are now carrying out the desires and ambitions of Vladimir Putin and I do not say that lightly.”
Several moments later, after the 80-year-old senator asked for unanimous consent to move the bill forward, Sen. Paul took the mic to raise his objection before dramatically exiting the room.
Officials in Montenegro have recently accused Russia of trying to meddle in their elections in order to keep the tiny country out of NATO.
Here’s Rand Paul’s statement:
Yeah, I dunno. Everything is weird.
Per spox, McCain wants an explanation from Paul as to "why he sought to prevent [Montenegro] from joining in the defense of the free world" pic.twitter.com/OQ747zhqK1
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) March 15, 2017
Kudos to @SenJohnMcCain for being blunt. Paul is carrying water for the Kremlin. #Montenegro in NATO is important for the whole of #Balkans. https://t.co/u3pRSvcKQa
— Jasmin Mujanović (@JasminMuj) March 15, 2017