Rand Paul, Liz Cheney exchange insults in Twitter feud

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) are engaged in a Twitter feud, with Cheney claiming Paul’s motto is “terrorists first” and Paul accusing the House Republican Conference chairwoman of “warmongering.”

Both Republicans are arguing with each other over which one actually stands with — and has the support of — President Trump.

{mosads}Cheney, resurfacing a 2015 tweet from Trump in which he called the libertarian-leaning senator and then-GOP presidential rival a “spoiled brat without a properly functioning brain,” tweeted that “no truer words were ever spoken.”

“Hi @RandPaul I know the 2016 race was painful for you since you were such a big loser (then & now) with a dismal 4.5% in Iowa. No surprise since your motto seems to be ‘Terrorists First, America Second,’ ” Cheney tweeted, referencing Paul’s 2016 presidential bid.  

Hi @RandPaul I know the 2016 race was painful for you since you were such a big loser (then & now) with a dismal 4.5% in Iowa. No surprise since your motto seems to be “Terrorists First, America Second.”

Here’s a TBT courtesy of @realDonaldTrump. No truer words were ever spoken https://t.co/7MIM31ZuKl

— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) September 12, 2019

Cheney’s tweet came after Paul swiped at the top House Republican earlier in the day, saying Trump “hears all your NeverTrump warmongering.” He likened Cheney’s views to former national security adviser John Bolton, who Trump ousted earlier this week amid disagreements.

“We all see your pro-Bolton blather. I’m just grateful for a president who, unlike you, supports stopping these endless wars,” Paul tweeted.

Hi @Liz_Cheney, President @realDonaldTrump hears all your NeverTrump warmongering. We all see your pro-Bolton blather. I’m just grateful for a president who, unlike you, supports stopping these endless wars.

— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 12, 2019

Paul doubled-down on his attack in an interview with CNN on Thursday, claiming that Liz Cheney and her father former Vice President Dick Cheney “hate President Trump’s foreign policy.”

“They want to stay in Afghanistan forever, they’re apologizing for John Bolton, they love John Bolton. Really they’re part of this foreign policy swamp that has been trying to undermine President Trump,” he said.

The Twitter feud appears to have began Wednesday, when Paul tweeted an op-ed written by Wyoming state legislators calling on Cheney to stop “publicly criticizing our Republican commander-in-chief and seemingly pushing the U.S. toward yet another endless war in the Middle East.” The op-ed was published by the Washington Examiner last week.

“I agree! Why do some neocons continue to advocate for endless wars?  I stand with @realdonaldtrump on ending wars.  Let’s focus on America First, not Afghanistan!” Paul tweeted. 

Cheney hit back, saying she stands with Trump and first responders, while Paul “seems to have forgotten that today is 9/11.”

I stand with @realDonaldTrump and our men and women in uniform who will never surrender to terrorists, unlike @RandPaul, who seems to have forgotten that today is 9/11. https://t.co/P0Ok2w48d5

— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) September 12, 2019

Before Paul weighed in Thursday, his chief strategist Doug Stafford responded to Cheney by invoking her father and saying that “Actually, @realDonaldTrump loves @RandPaul.”

“I’m pretty sure they both think your family is a bunch of chickenhawk warmongers who personally benefited from the military industrial complex and are responsible for thousands of lost lives and trillions of lost dollars,” he added.

Actually, @realDonaldTrump loves @RandPaul and I’m pretty sure they both think your family is a bunch of chickenhawk warmongers who personally benefited from the military industrial complex and are responsible for thousands of lost lives and trillions of lost dollars. ‍♂️ https://t.co/e0cwHzZ1i6

— Doug Stafford (@dougstafford) September 12, 2019

Trump has not tweeted in response to the GOP infighting.