As assorted celebrities and corporate media push political narratives about him and his state, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) fought back Tuesday afternoon against the dishonest coverage.
WATCH: @RandPaul reacts to the damage in Kentucky after a series of tornadoes ripped through the area #AmericaReports pic.twitter.com/fNQzFSj7Fy
— America Reports (@AmericaRpts) December 14, 2021
Paul recently requested “expeditious approval of any request for federal assistance” from Kentucky’s Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear.
CNN’s John Avlon, hardly a trustworthy reporter, decided to attack the Kentuckian over that.
“He has a long record of opposing federal aid for disaster victims, except, apparently, for when it impacts his constituents,” Avlon said. “Suddenly, all of those reflexive attacks on ‘socialist big-government spending’ don’t seem to apply.”
It’s a typically flawed left-wing criticism that’s trotted out when any Republican tries to do his or her job by assisting his or her constituency after a crisis.
Fox News’ Sandra Smith told Paul, “There’s been some criticism of you asking for aid, request for the tornado damage in your state, federal aid, while some are pointing out that you opposed it in other instances, including Hurricane Sandy.”
Paul set some facts straight, while excoriating CNN.
“It’s sad. We haven’t buried our dead yet and networks like CNN were, frankly, they’re fundamentally dishonest people saying things that are untrue. When I was first elected in 2010, within months, I was advocating for disaster relief for Kentucky. I’ve never had a problem with the program. I’ve never really opposed disaster relief for any part of the country,” the senator explained. “But I have said, when it goes over budget, when we spend everything that’s within our budget, that it should be paid for by taking money from places in the budget, from places that are less essential. I think that’s a very reasonable fiscally conservative. But, you know, you watch CNN and you have people who, basically, all they care about is attack, attack, attack.”
“I informed the CNN reporter of that yesterday, and they didn’t report one word I said,” Paul added. “All they’re going to do is basically lie to people. But it’s also why nobody wants to watch them anymore. They used to be a trusted source of news and now, my goodness, it’s just a factory of lies and partisanship, and I don’t know how anybody can watch it any more.”
When our elite media is not playing partisan politics with this tragedy, the usual suspects are rushing to suggest the deadly tornadoes are a reason to do more about climate change.
But science does not support claims that tornadoes — or flooding, hurricanes, heat waves, or earthquakes — are on the upswing.
The government and media have been bombarding you with propaganda about the Kentucky tornado, designed to scare you and manipulate you.
It’s time to learn—and share—the truth.https://t.co/lnhrfWHOFb
— Alex Epstein (@AlexEpstein) December 14, 2021
The worldwide death toll from extreme weather has been dropping steadily for decades, and tornadoes are not becoming more frequent. The average remains about 1,200 observed each year, with nine of the 10 deadliest occurring more than 65 years ago.
Source: PJ Media
