Paul's bill to block foreign aid to Libya, Egypt and Pakistan was rejected by the Senate. Paul rips Graham defense of Manchin

Sen. Rand Paul accused fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham on Thursday of providing aid and comfort to Democrats in the fall battle for Senate control.

An outside spending group controlled by Paul, a Kentucky Republican, launched an ad this week attacking Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) for opposing Paul’s bill to block foreign aid to Libya, Egypt and Pakistan. Graham quickly came to Manchin’s defense, prompting a sharp retort from Paul, a tea party freshman who’s considered an isolationist on foreign policy.


“I don’t see myself campaigning against a Republican in a general election ever, that’s why I think it’s extraordinary that Graham is supporting a Democrat in a general election,” Paul told POLITICO. “That’s fairly extraordinary to do that.”

Paul added, “Which is more important: Defending, I think, a failed policy of foreign aid or getting a Republican majority? And I personally think getting a Republican majority, from my perspective, is very important.”

Graham — a defense hawk who has raised or donated $300,000 to Republican candidates this cycle — declined, through a spokesman, to comment on Paul’s criticism.

But Manchin, who is a heavy favorite to be reelected in November, reacted furiously to the charge. He accused Paul of a “callous” act that put “politics over your country.” Manchin also accused Paul of acting as a partisan while portraying himself as a bipartisan rabble-rouser. Manchin said Paul was “putting more gasoline” on the partisan fires in Washington.

“He showed me his true colors, and it’s a shame,” Manchin told POLITICO. “That’s not how we’re going to move this country forward with that type of an attitude and mentality.”

At issue is an ad campaign Paul launched through his political action committee — RAND PAC — in the wake of his failed attempt to cut off foreign aid to the three Muslim countries. The bill was meant as retaliation for the imprisonment of a Pakistani physician who helped the CIA locate Osama bin Laden and for the violence against U.S. diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt.

After months of demanding a vote, Paul finally got his wish — but his proposal was rejected 81-10. Critics — including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Graham — called the measure overly broad and said it would cause even more instability in the region while doing almost nothing to reduce the budget deficit.

Manchin, who holds a commanding lead against GOP businessman John Raese, said he and others are willing to place more conditions on foreign aid, but the drafting of Paul’s amendment, he said, was “flawed.”

It is unusual for a senator to launch such a direct campaign assault on a colleague, given the paramount importance of relationship-building to achieve legislative success in the clubby chamber.

“I called Lindsey,” Manchin said. “I just couldn’t believe Rand Paul would do something like that.”

But Paul — a libertarian-minded freshman who often finds himself in the minority of the minority in Senate votes — doesn’t seem too concerned.

“They are on the losing side of this argument,” Paul said. “For them to come out and support somebody from the opposite party who votes for things that basically none of us on our side is interested in.”

Paul is also going after Democratic Sens. Bill Nelson in Florida and Sherrod Brown in Ohio — and he may enter a few more states where a six-figure ad buy can have an impact. Another potential target is Sen. Claire McCaskill in Missouri. Paul said his PAC had a strong fundraising quarter, pulling in about $1 million.

The Manchin ad triggered an immediate backlash from his colleagues, given the emotional nature of the attack.

“While radical Islamists burn our embassy and kill our ambassador in Libya, Joe Manchin votes to send more taxpayer money to Libya,” the ad says, while showing images of violence overseas. “Millions of jobless men and women seek work, while our debt climbs higher and our roads and bridges crumble here at home, Joe Manchin works with Barack Obama to send billions of our taxpayer dollars to countries where radicals storm our embassies, burn our flag and kill our diplomats.”

Manchin said that when he learned of the campaign, he called Paul but couldn’t reach him. He later voiced his concerns to Graham, who agreed to join a conference call with reporters this week to criticize Paul’s effort.

“In this particular case, he’s campaigning for the Democrat,” a perplexed Paul said of Graham on Thursday.

On the call, Graham said Paul’s measure would backfire. “Radical Islam would like nothing better than for America to withdraw from the region,” Graham said.

While Graham donated to Raese’s 2010 bid when he lost to Manchin, he hasn’t donated to the Republican candidate this cycle. But Manchin said Graham has never expressed support for his own candidacy.

“Why don’t you go back and fix your bill, Rand?” Manchin said in the interview. “The way he’s trying to make it look like we’re supporting people who burn our flag, burn our consulates and kill our diplomats. I don’t know anything more callous than that.”

Scott Wong contributed to this report.