Real estate mogul Donald Trump on Monday panned Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) filibuster over drone policy, saying the GOP “got nothing out of it.”
“I happen to feel that the filibuster did nothing. They got nothing out of it. There was nothing gained by it,” said Trump on “Fox and Friends.”
“It was just a protest and we need more than protests, we need action,” he added.
Paul last week held a nearly 13-hour filibuster on the Senate floor, temporarily delaying the eventual confirmation of John Brennan for CIA director, to raise constitutional questions over the Obama administration’s drone policy.
The Kentucky senator called on the White House to clarify if the president had the authority to order a drone strike against an American citizen on U.S. soil not engaging in hostile activity.
Attorney General Eric Holder later sent Paul a letter saying that the president would not use drone strikes in such a situation.
But Paul’s actions also highlighted a split in the GOP, with Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) harshly criticizing his filibuster. They two senators said he had raised “ridiculous” arguments and “cheapened” the debate over drone policy.
Trump suggested that the GOP should have gone further and blocked Brennan.
“It didn’t stop the Brennan disaster, which is what it should have really, the purpose should have been for that,” he added.
Trump said the filibuster highlighted the real problem with the GOP.
"The Republicans have so much power and they just don’t seem able to use it and they don’t use it properly. They don’t deal from strength," he said.
Trump will be in Washington later this week to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). The reality TV star said he was honored to be invited by the group and would discuss jobs and the economy during his address.
“The CPAC people are great people, they believe in something: working,” said Trump. “They believe in working and making this country great.”
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