This post has been updated.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Sunday continued to blast Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) over his support for the new U.S. policy toward Cuba.
After President Obama announced that the U.S. would establish diplomatic relations with Cuba, Rubio slammed the decision as “absurd.”
Paul expressed support for the policy change, eliciting a negative response from Rubio. The disagreement between the two Republican senators escalated into an all-out feud with personal attacks.
On Sunday, Rubio linked Paul to Obama.
“Rand, if he wants to become the chief cheerleader of Obama’s foreign policy, he certainly has a right to do that,” Rubio said on ABC’s “This Week” when host George Stephanopoulos asked about the senators’ fight over policy toward Cuba.
“I’m going to continue to oppose the Obama — Obama-Paul foreign policy on Cuba because I know it won’t lead to freedom and liberty for the Cuban people, which is my sole interest here,” Rubio continued.
When Stephanopoulos asked if Rubio would support Paul if he is nominated as the Republican presidential candidate, Rubio didn’t give his colleague a ringing endorsement.
“I anticipate supporting whoever the Republican nominee is and I’m pretty confident that the Republican nominee for president will be someone who has a pretty forceful role — view of America’s role in the world as a defender of democracy and of freedom and also understands that it’s important for America to be engaged on the global stage,” Rubio responded.
On Sunday afternoon, Paul’s office issued a statement hitting back at Rubio.
“With all due respect, Senator Marco Rubio was captain of the GOP cheerleading team for Obama’s arming of Syrian rebels, bombing Libya resulting in a jihadist wonderland, and illegally giving foreign aid to Egypt’s military government. The Rubio-Obama foreign policy has made the Middle East and North Africa less safe,” Doug Stafford, a senior advisor to Paul, said in an email to TPM.
