Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said that his colleague, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is a “danger to the country” for urging that military force be used against North Korea if President Trump is unable to reach an agreement with the rogue regime’s leader Kim Jong Un about denuclearizing the Korean peninsula.
Paul said he would not vote for an Authorization for the Use of Military Force against North Korea as Graham had called for over the weekend, just before Trump’s meeting on Tuesday with Kim in Singapore.
“Lindsey Graham is a danger to the country by even proposing ideas like authorizing war with Korea, my goodness,” Paul said in an interview Monday with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “So that should be something that is seen as naive and seen as something that really serious people shouldn’t even really be discussing.”
When asked to elaborate, Paul said that Graham’s world view that “war is always the answer” has prompted the U.S. to become involved with conflicts “where it’s not really clear what the American interests is in those wars.”
“I think sometimes the reaction to our involvement in those wars has actually been worse than had we not been involved at all,” Paul said.
Over the weekend, Graham called on Senate Democrats to support the use of military force against North Korea “if diplomacy fails” to establish a denuclearization deal on the Korean peninsula.
“If diplomacy fails, will you support my efforts to authorize the use of military force as a last resort to convince North Korea and China that things are going to be different this time?” Graham said during an interview with ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.
Graham added that, “We’ll know diplomatic failure when we see it,” and said he did not anticipate that Trump and Kim would sign a deal this week.
Graham’s office did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner to provide comment. But Graham provided a statement to CNN.
“When it comes to fighting radical Islam and bad actors, Senator Paul is constantly AWOL,” Graham said in a statement to CNN.
“There is no threat to America that Senator Paul will not retreat from,” he added.
Graham also said that it “is an unacceptable risk” to permit the rogue regime to maintain nuclear arms that could target the U.S.
“The only way North Korea will give up their nuclear program is if they believe military option is real,” Graham said.
Trump landed in Singapore on Sunday and is scheduled to meet with Kim on Tuesday morning local time.
Trump and other leaders, such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, have characterized the summit as a “getting-to-know-you” meeting between Trump and Kim.
