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Rand Paul walks out of Guardian interview

Sen. Rand Paul walked out of a Guardian U.S. interview being conducted via the live streaming app Periscope on Friday.

Guardian reporter Paul Lewis was asking the Kentucky Republican and 2016 Republican presidential candidate about criminal justice reform.

"One more question for you, sorry we have to sometimes be a bit forceful, when you stand for president you get pressed and questioned and you understand that," Lewis said, before mentioning that at Paul's campaign launch on Tuesday he got an enthusiastic response to his calls for criminal justice reform.

"You're standing for the Republican nomination, all the research shows that Republicans, white Republicans who will determine the outcome of this race, don't think criminal law is applied in an unfair way, so how are you going to win the nomination with this..." Lewis asked before being cut off by Paul.

"I think your premise is incorrect," Paul said. "I think I can take that message into a white Evangelical church anywhere in Iowa and give the exact same speech and be received well."

Lewis then tried to quote a recent Washington Post and ABC poll, before Paul pointed at him, looked at his staff, said something unintelligible and walked out.

Lewis got back in front of the camera to explain what happened when the lights in the room were turned off.

"So we got that interview cut off maybe it was because I was about to push him on the specific, oh the lights are off in fact, we're being told to go," Lewis said. "But the specifics of why Republicans, most of them don't think that criminal law is applied [unequally], two in three white Republicans say that according to a poll last week, would've been great to say that to Sen. Paul, the interview was cut short, but that's periscope."

Paul's team later tweeted "We didn't turn the lights off and neither did my staff. CNN producers did. It was time for my interview with [CNN's Dana Bash.]"

Lewis later tweeted that a CNN producer was the one to turn out the lights.

"Pleased Rand Paul gave us a live Periscope interview. Shame he didn't seem keen on answering specifics," Lewis wrote.

The incident is the latest in a string of testy interviews Paul has had with the media. Earlier this week he clashed with "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie, accusing her of editorializing her questions. As we reported earlier this week, Paul is well known among members of the media for being an accessible candidate, but one with a particularly prickly demeanor that could continue to cause him trouble as the campaign continues.

UPDATE (4:10p.m.):

Paul spokesperson Sergio Gor explains the situation in an email:

Senator Paul had multiple interviews and the reporter knew we had limited time, that's why he told the reporter that he had time for one more question. When that question ended, he had to move to his next interview. We did not turn the lights off, that was CNN producers who were taping an interview right after and need a different look for the room.