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Ad will collapse in seconds CLOSE /the national interest February 22, 2017 02/22/2017 9:11 a.m. By Jonathan Chait

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The Republican Party has largely decided to cover for Donald Trumps massive corruption, grotesque lies, and manifest unfitness for office. But few of them have gone quite so far, or quite so cravenly, as Rand Paul. The junior senator from Kentucky, and onetime hope of the extremely short-lived libertarian moment in American politics, has not only attached himself to Trump, but is actively snuffing out whatever faint stirrings of opposition his colleagues can muster.

While the GOP Congress has ignored the presidents self-enrichment, refusal to disclose his tax returns, and clear violations of the Constitutions Emoluments Clause, some have expressed willingness to investigate his opaque ties to Russia. Paul is not one of them. And not only does he see no need for investigation on Russia, Paul has staked out a stance against any investigations, period, on the brutally frank grounds that it would impair the partys legislative agenda. I just dont think its useful to be doing investigation after investigation, particularly of your own party, he told Kilmeade and Friends. Well never even get started with doing the things we need to do, like repealing Obamacare, if were spending our whole time having Republicans investigate Republicans.

Many Republicans have made piecemeal excuses not to exercise the oversight function. Only Paul has elevated the practice of looking away from the crimes of the Executive branch to an actual principle of governance.

John McCain has staked out the most independent position, most recently likening Trumps description of the media as enemies of the people to the words of a dictator. Paul is having none of it. Last weekend, Paul appeared on CNN to deliver a defense of Trump so fulsome that Breitbart has published it in its entirety. After repeatedly swatting away concerns about the president, Paul explained that McCains criticism of Trumps authoritarian ravings were nothing but a cover for his ideological vendetta:

Obviously Paul has longstanding disagreements with McCain on foreign policy. But the subject of this rant was not foreign policy; it was Trumps creepy, Stalinesque dismissal of the news media as a class enemy, which Paul is excusing by changing the subject to other issues. Every authoritarian requires spineless lackeys who will attack his dissidents. In Trumps Republican Party, the authoritarians best friend is the libertarian.

Update: Paul appeared on Fox & Friends to respond to this. A smirking Steve Doocey asked, So, New York Magazine says youre Trumps most loyal stooge because, while other members of your party have some opposition to Mr. Trump, you seem to want to actually advance his agenda. Presented with a question purporting to dismiss the premise of this piece, but actually confirming it instead, Paul made two defenses:

1. The haters are gonna hate, what are you gonna do? This ignores the possibility that abandoning his blanket opposition to any investigation of Trumps scandals is a thing he could do.

2. Im probably one of the most independent Senators on the Hill I was the only Republican that voted against a budget that would have added $9 trillion in new debt. So Im hardly someone whos afraid to tout the party line.

It is true that Paul cast a symbolic vote against the budget, whose passage was not in doubt. The degree to which this message vote balances out his opposition to conducting any oversight whatsoever on the Executive Branch is for the reader to decide. I will note that Im hardly someone whos afraid to tout the party line may be a case where Paul stated what he is thinking in his head rather than what he meant to say out loud.

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Fox News Congratulates Rand Paul For Being Trump's Stooge - New York Magazine