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Following the bitterly partisan,acrimonious confirmation battle over Associate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., warned in an interview on Tuesday that heated political rhetoric has the potential to turn deadly.

"I fear that there's going to be an assassination," Paul told a Kentucky radio show. "I really worry that somebody is going to be killed, and that those who are ratcheting up the conversation ... they have to realize they bear some responsibility if this elevates to violence."

Paul's comments came the same day former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton declared that Democrats "cannot be civil" with Republicans any longer.

Paul's wife,Kelley, revealed in aBreitbart News interview on Friday that she sleeps with a "loaded gun by my bed," has updated her home's security system and has "deadbolts all around my house." Kelley also wrote an op-ed published by CNN in which she called on Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., to tone down his rhetoric; in June, Booker suggested his supportersget up in the face of congresspeople.

The Kentucky senator reiterated his wife's criticism on Tuesday. "When people like Cory Booker say get up in their face ... What he doesn't realize is that for every 1,000 persons who want to get up in your face, one of them is going to be unstable enough to commit violence," Paul said.

"I fear that there's going to be an assassination."

Last week, Paul was chased and verbally harassed by anti-Kavanaugh activists at Washington's Reagan National Airport. And last fall, Paul was attacked and beaten in his yard in Kentucky by his neighbor -- an episode that a Kentucky Democrat joked about earlier this year.

Paul was attending the congressional baseball practice last summer when a gunman opened fire, hittingHouse Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., in the hip and injuring two Capitol police officers and an aide. The episode was very nearly a "massacre," lawmakers said.

"When I was at the ballfield and Steve Scalise was nearlykilled, the guy shooting up the ballfield, and shooting I think five or six people, he was yelling, 'This is for health care,'" Paul told host Leland Conway on Tuesday. "When I was attacked in my yard and had six of my ribs broken, and pneumonia, lung contusion, all that -- these are people that are unstable, we don't want to encourage them."

REPUBLICAN SENATOR RECEIVES GRAPHIC TEXT MESSAGE OF BEHEADING, SEES PERSONAL INFORMATION LEAKED AFTER 'YES' VOTE ON KAVANAUGH

The uncorroborated sexual assault accusations against Kavanaguh, Paul said, didn't justify keeping him off the Supreme Court, much less the partisan rancor surrounding his confirmation. (Paul, who was initially skeptical about Kavanaugh's constitutional views on privacy, ultimately became one of the 51 senators who supported his confirmation.)

"We don't want this to be the standard, that anyone can accuse anybody of anything," he continued."That would sort of be the standard they had in Venice in the 15th century, when people would put their complaints into the mouth of the lion .... And you'd put your complaint in, and people would lose their head over that."

Paul then echoed President Trump's comments at a ceremonial swearing-in for Kavanaugh in the East Room on Monday evening, as well as dramatic remarks by Maine moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins last week. The president apologized to Kavanaugh "on behalf of our nation" and, before thanking Collins, emphasized that "in our country, a man or a woman must always be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty."

"You are presumed to be innocent," Paul agreed. "I just feel really sorry for Kavanaugh and his wife and his children for having to go through that."

Hundreds of protesters have been arrested by Capitol Police in the past three weeks, with some briefly staying in jail. Kavanaugh, his family, his accusersand lawmakers all received death threats.

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Protests outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday, the first day Kavanaugh publicly sat on the bench for oral arguments, were relatively sparse. On Saturday, when Kavanaugh was formally sworn in, demonstrators outside banged on the Supreme Court's doors and attempted to claw their way inside.

And ateacher in Minnesota announced she had resignedthis week after asking on Twitter, "So whose gonna take one for the team and kill Kavanaugh?" Supreme Court justices receive protection from the Supreme Court Police and the U.S. Marshals Service while in Washington, D.C.,although they must ordinarily request protection on domestic or international trips outside that metropolitan area.

On Tuesday, President Trump suggested some of thedemonstraters in the nation's capital were paid to protest, and were angry primarily because "they haven't gotten their checks." Some of the anti-Kavanaugh protesters who accosted senators on Capitol Hill have ties to liberal billionaire George Soros.

A27-year-oldDemocratic congressional intern was arrested last week and accused of posting the personal information of at least one Republican senator during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Kavanaugh. The intern, who has since been fired, was denied bail on Tuesday.

Also speaking in a radiointerview on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he was proudof his Republican colleagues for standing up to what he called "mob tactics" during the Kavanaugh confirmation battle.

McConnell also said that he would have no problem appointing a conservative justice in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election if Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg were to retire from the bench. He distinguished that hypothetical from the situation withfailed Obama nominee Merrick Garland in 2016 because at that time, different parties controlled the White House and the Senate.

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"It will depend largely if the Senate is in Republican hands or Democratic hands," McConnell said, saying it is exceedingly rare for a lame-duck president whose party does not control the Senate to nominate a Supreme Court justice.

"I think they overplayed their hand."

The GOP is currently favored to retain control of the Senate after November's midterm elections, buoyed in part by a newly energized base after the Kavanaugh fight.

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"This has been like a shot of adrenaline to Republican voters who probably were not as interested or energized in an off-year election with the president not on the ballot," McConnell said. "I think they overplayed their hand. I think the tactics turned off people and turned on our base."

Original post:
Rand Paul warns of 'assassination' peril after Kavanaugh ...

(Newser) Already the target of death threats, including from a person who threatened to chop up his family with an ax, Rand Paul worries the current political climate could spawn deadly violence. "I fear that there's going to be an assassination I really worry that somebody is going to be killed," the Republican senator from Kentucky told WHAS on Tuesday, referring to Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation and ongoing protests in Washington. "Those who are ratcheting up the conversation, they have to realize they bear some responsibility if this elevates to violence," he added, referencing Sen. Cory Booker's call in June for activists concerned with ending homelessness to "get up in the face of some congresspeople," per the Hill.

"What he doesn't realize is that for every 1,000 persons who want to get up in your face, one of them is going to be unstable enough to commit violence," Paul said, per Time. "When I was at the ballfield and Steve Scalise was nearly killed, the guy shooting up the ballfield was yelling, 'This is for health care.'" His comments echoed a recent CNN op-ed by his wife, Kelley Paul, who also called out Booker. "Preventing someone from moving forward, thrusting your middle finger in their face, screaming vitriolis this the way to express concern or enact change?" she wrote. Describing "violence and threats of violence at a horrifying level," she added, "I now keep a loaded gun by my bed."

Read more from the original source:
Rand Paul: 'I Fear There's Going to Be an Assassination'

The wife of Sen. Rand PaulRandal (Rand) Howard PaulRepublicans come full circle with Supreme Court battle to the end Senate sends bill regulating airline seat sizes to Trump Sasse: I encouraged Trump to pick someone other than Kavanaugh MORE (R-Ky.) on Wednesday penned an open letter directed at Sen. Cory BookerCory Anthony BookerDem 2020 primary season is unofficially underway The winners and losers of the Supreme Court confirmation Possible 2020 Dems react to Kavanaugh securing votes needed for Senate confirmation MORE (D-N.J.),appearing to blame the Democrat for the threats and protests her husband has faced this week.

Kelley Paul wrote in an op-edpublished on CNN that her husband was "besieged at the airport by activists." Sheindicated that they shouted at the senator, stuck their middle fingers in his face and prevented him from moving to his destination.

She wrote that the protesters had heeded Booker's advice from July in which he urgeda nonprofit group in Washington, D.C.,to "get up in the face of some congresspeople" rather than being passive about issues they care about.

"I would call on you to retract your statement," Kelley Paul wrote Wednesday. "I would call on you to condemn violence, the leaking of elected officials' personal addresses (our address was leaked from a Senate directory given only to senators), and the intimidation and threats that are being hurled at them and their families."

Kelley Paul appealed to Booker's sense of bipartisanship, noting that the Democrat worked with her husband on criminal justice reform bills.

Booker's officesuggestedWednesday night that"right-wing"outletshad taken his remarks out of context.

"If you listen to more than a deceptively-edited 18-second clip of the speech Ms. Paul references, Senator Bookers enduring commitment to decency is clear,"spokesman Jeff Giertz said.

"Senator Booker actually says to a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to ending homelessness to get up in the face of some congresspeople and tell them about common sense solutions that address this problem and 'I don't want to hate anybody, because I know the truth,'" Giertz continued. "To think Senator Booker is somehow urging violent confrontation with these words requires you to ignore all context."

Booker's comments from July drewintenseattention among conservatives, as they came a short time after Rep. Maxine WatersMaxine Moore WatersRand Paul's wife pens letter to Booker following protests, threats against husband On The Money: Bombshell NY Times report on Trump's taxes | Mulvaney backs official under fire for posts dismissing racism | Regulators pledge relief for mid-sized banks | Amazon raises minimum wage | Trump defends name of new trade deal Maxine Waters: Trump will face bipartisan wrath if he fires Rosenstein MORE (D-Calif.) stirred controversy forurging her supporters to confront Trump administration officials in public spaces.

Amid backlashagainst Waters's comments, Booker called for protesters to "lead with love" when confronting officials.

Rand Paul has endured violence and threats over the course of the last 18 months, his wife noted. The Kentucky senator was present at a congressional baseball practice last year when a gunman opened fire, seriously wounding Rep. Steve ScaliseStephen (Steve) Joseph ScaliseGOP lawmaker reports 'threatening' Twitter messages to police Rand Paul's wife pens letter to Booker following protests, threats against husband Trump takes victory lap after NAFTA deal MORE (R-La.).

The Pauls' neighbor was sentenced to 30 days in prison earlier this year after he assaulted Rand Paul in their yard.The senator suffered sixbroken ribs in the attack, and an x-ray found fluid buildup around his lungs.

Kelley Paul has been critical of media coverage of the incident,noting that some mocked her husband.

Kelley Paul wrote Wednesday that law enforcement conducts additional patrols around her house, and she keeps a loaded gun near her bedas a resultof the threats against her husband.

Protesters and progressive activists have confronted several Republican senators in recent days as they travel through airports and other public spaces in an effort to plead with them to oppose Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellTrump, GOP aim to weaponize Kavanaugh vote ahead of November McConnell: Senate GOP 'refused to be intimidated by the mob' The winners and losers of the Supreme Court fight MORE (R-Ky.) earlier Wednesday slammed the protests as "intimidation tactics" that he vowed would not prevent a vote on Kavanaugh.

-- Updated at 10:40 p.m.

See the rest here:
Rand Paul's wife pens letter to Booker following protests ...

The Center for Popular Democracy confronted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday as he was walking through the airport Courtesy Center for Popular Democracy

Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul(Photo: Timothy D. Easley AP)

Kentucky's Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul joined a growing group of D.C. lawmakers who have had their private information leaked to the public.

Senate Majority Leader McConnell'shome addresses in Kentucky and Washington, D.C., were added to his public Wikipedia page earlier this week, according to a report from D.C.-based newspaperRoll Call.

Meanwhile, Kelley Paul, Sen. Paul's wife, wrote in a letter published on CNN late Wednesday that "someone just posted our home address, and Rand's cell number, on the internet."

Sergio Gor, a spokesman for Paul, confirmed to the Courier Journal that the senator's information had been leaked online, a practice commonly called doxing.A spokesman for McConnell referred all comments about the doxing to the Senate sergeant at arms, the Senate's security official.

Read this: Grimes dismisses GOP complaints about her Rand Paul 'beaten' joke

The latest: Video: Kavanaugh protesters chase down Rand Paul at DC airport

Late Wednesday evening, police charged a man in Washington, D.C., withposting "private, identifying information (doxing) about one or more United States Senators to the internet," according to the United States Capitol Police.

Jackson A. Cosko, 27, was a Democratic congressional intern, Politico reported.Last week, the Wikipedia pages of Republican Sens. Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch, of Utah, and Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, were changed to show their addresses, phone numbers and email address.

A U.S. Capitol Police spokesman did not return a request for comment asking if Cosko's arrest is connected to McConnell and Paul.

In her open letter to CNN, Kelley Paul said she now will "keep a loaded gun by my bed" and has sheriff's officersdoing extra patrols around their home in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

The leak of Paul's information this week is the latest threat the junior lawmaker has received.

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Last year, Paul was on the baseball field where a gunman openedfire on congressional staffers and also hit and seriously wounded Rep. Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican. Then in November 2017, Paul was tackled by his neighbor Rene Boucher at hishome in Bowling Green during a dispute over lawn trimmings. The attack broke several of Paul's ribs.

And in July, Paul said a man "threatened to kill me and chop up my family with an ax."

McConnell has also been harassed recently for hissupport of Supreme Court nomineeBrett Kavanaugh, who has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct.

On Monday, McConnellwas confronted by victims of sexual assault alignedwith a political group, the Center for Popular Democracy, as he walked through an airport inWashington, D.C.

McConnell was also harassed by protesters several times this summer over Trump's immigration policies and migrant families being separated at the border. In June, McConnell and his wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, were confronted as they left a dinner at Georgetown University.A month later while in Louisville, McConnell was confronted as he left a restaurant on Bardstown Road. He was also forced to leave an Italian restaurant in Schnitzelburg after hecklers blared Public Enemy's "Fight The Power" and yelled, "no justice no peace."

McConnell said Wednesday on the Senate floor that he and his colleagues would not be intimidated by the threats.

"There is no chance in the world that theyre going to scare us out of doing our duty," McConnell said. "I dont care how many members they chase, how many people they harass here in the halls. I want to make one thing perfectly clear: we will not be intimidated by these people."

Related: McConnell 'will not be intimidated' after protests over Kavanaugh vote

Read more: Louisville protesters call Kavanaugh unfit to be on the Supreme Court

Other news: Report: Sen. Rand Paul files amendment to remove Russia sanctions

Thomas Novelly: tnovelly@courierjournal.com, 502-582-4465. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/tomn.

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Here is the original post:
Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul doxing: private info leaked online

The wife of Republican Sen. Rand Paul penned an open letter to Democratic Sen. Cory Booker Wednesday night, calling on him to condemn violence in the wake of intimidation and threats that are being hurled at GOP families, including hers.

Kelley Paul, in an op-ed published by CNN, said her family lives in a state of fear due to an escalation of violent threats after their home address was posted online.

I now keep a loaded gun by my bed. Our security systems have had to be expanded. I have never felt this way in my life, she wrote.

Mrs. Paul said she was relieved and grateful after her husband narrowly escaped a mass-assassination attempt by a leftist gunman on the Republican congressional baseball team in 2017. She said her husband wasnt so lucky five months later when he was viciously attacked by a neighbor who left him with six broken ribs, lung damage and multiple bouts of pneumonia. Mrs. Paul slammed the liberals who made light of the attack, including Cher, Bette Midler, MSNBC commentator Kasie Hunt and Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, who joked about it at an August event.

Mrs. Paul also called out Mr. Booker, who recently encouraged supporters to get up in the face of some congresspeople and voice their disapproval.

Earlier this week, Rand was besieged in the airport by activists getting up in his face, as you, Senator Booker, encouraged them to do a few months ago, Mrs. Paul wrote. Preventing someone from moving forward, thrusting your middle finger in their face, screaming vitriol is this the way to express concern or enact change? Or does it only incite unstable people to violence, making them feel that assaulting a person is somehow politically justifiable?

Senator Booker, Rand has worked with you to co-sponsor criminal justice reform bills. He respects you, and so do I, she continued. I would call on you to retract your statement. I would call on you to condemn violence, the leaking of elected officials personal addresses (our address was leaked from a Senate directory given only to senators), and the intimidation and threats that are being hurled at them and their families.

Jeff Giertz, a spokesman for Mr. Booker, responded to the letter by claiming the senators words has been taken out of context by right-wing news outlets.

If you listen to more than a deceptively-edited 18-second clip of the speech Ms. Paul references, Senator Bookers enduring commitment to decency is clear, Mr. Giertz told The Hill.

Senator Booker actually says to a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to ending homelessness to get up in the face of some congresspeople and tell them about common sense solutions that address this problem and I dont want to hate anybody, because I know the truth, Mr. Giertz said. To think Senator Booker is somehow urging violent confrontation with these words requires you to ignore all context.

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Rand Paul's wife calls on Cory Booker to 'condemn violence ...