Libertarian-leaning candidate Rand Paul said Marco Rubio’s foreign policy credentials are negated by his poor grasp on Internet security and too liberal immigration policy.
“If we want to defend the country, we have to defend against who is coming in,” Paul said on the debate stage Tuesday night. “And Marco has more of an allegiance to Chuck Schumer and the liberals than he does to conservative policy.”
On the campaign trail and in the Senate, Paul has advocated heavily for Internet security and privacy, but also is hesitant for the United States to become involved in foreign conflicts. Rubio said he believes that access and collection of citizens’ data could help curb domestic terror attacks, referencing the recent attacks in San Bernardino, Calif., which were carried out by a radicalized American citizen. The Florida senator, who is also a favorite of much of the GOP establishment, has focused much of his campaign on his hawkish foreign policy views.
“Marco can’t have it both ways. He thinks, ‘Oh, I want to be so great and strong on national defense,’ but he’s the weakest of all the candidates on immigration. He is the one for an open border that is leaving us defenseless,” Paul said.
Paul insisted that Rubio’s preference for data collection makes America “less safe,” and that “we get so distracted by all the information. The one thing that may have stopped San Bernardino and may have stopped 9/11 is stricter controls on those who came here.”
The Kentucky senator went on to criticize Rubio’s record on border security and involvement with the Gang of Eight, during which he “steadfastly opposed any security requirements for refugees or students. ”
Rubio responded, “I promise you the next time there is an attack on this country the first question will be, ‘Why did this happen and why didn’t we stop it?’ And the answer better not be that we didn’t have access to records or information that would have allowed us to identify these terrorists before they attacked.”
