Rep. Peter King (R-NY) suggested on Tuesday that 2016 hopefuls Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) would both make bad presidents.
During a speech at the International Association of Firefighters Legislative Conference on Tuesday, King criticized Paul for his stance on U.S. drone use.
“He’s afraid the CIA might use drones to attack Americans drinking coffee in Starbucks,” King said.
He then criticized Cruz for pushing the federal government to shutdown in 2013, and referenced Cruz reading a Dr. Seuss book to his daughters on the Senate floor.
“Do you really want a commander-in-chief who thinks the way to run the government is to read Dr. Seuss on the Senate floor and shut down the United States government?” King asked. “No, we need responsible adults. We need people who realize we’re in a dangerous world.”
King also criticized lawmakers who say they support firefighters but voted against funding the Department of Homeland Security in February.
“I find it really hypocritical that people come before you and say, ‘I stand with the firefighters. We have to be with you.’ And then they don’t vote to fund the Department of Homeland Security,” King said. “What do they think they’re going to do?”
Cruz also spoke at the IAFF conference on Tuesday, where he expressed his support for firefighters. Though the senator has been blamed for the government shutdown in 2013, he voted to fund the Department of Homeland Security in February.
Watch King’s speech below. He begins talking about Paul and Cruz at the 15:30 mark.
