Arizona veteran expresses his frustration at his younger rival’s success in single-handedly preventing the extension of surveillance powers

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The feud between John McCain and Rand Paul worsened on Saturday morning after the presidential candidate successfully held up a temporary extension of controversial provisions of the Patriot Act.

McCain, a leading GOP hawk and Paul, the leader of his party’s libertarian wing, have never exactly seen eye to eye. But the relationship became even more toxic after Paul successfully blocked the Senate from extending NSA surveillance programs for even one additional day.

After the votes, McCain expressed his frustration with the Kentucky Republican, saying there were “99 people [in the Senate] who were basically willing to have this put off for a period of time so there could be negotiations and one person decided that he didn’t want to have it happen”.

The Arizona Republican went on to suggest that Paul’s filibuster of over 10 hours on Wednesday was simply a fundraising ruse while also casting veiled barbs at Texas Republican Ted Cruz as well.



“There’s a new breed in the Senate,” McCain mourned. “Some time ago senators would try to sit down and work things out and obviously these individuals don’t believe in that, and I’m sure it’s a great revenue raiser.

“The emails are out now and they were out during the 11-hour performance a couple days ago.”

In contrast, when asked about McCain’s statements while leaving the Senate, Paul simply suggested that colleagues shouldn’t question his “sincerity”.

This is not the first tussle between the two. McCain has previously suggested that Paul is a “whacko bird” while Paul has accused McCain of being a “lapdog for Obama.”