If not for the police, Sen. Rand Paul says he and his wife might have been killed last night in an attack by a violent mob of as many as 120 on a Washington, D.C., street as they left the White House after President Trump's nomination speech.
"I truly believe this with every fiber of my being, had they gotten at us they would have gotten us to the ground," he said in an interview Friday morning with "Fox & Friends."
"We might not have been killed," he said, "but might just have been injured by being kicked in the head, or kicked in the stomach until we were senseless."
The Kentucky senator said the incident was "horrific," with a growing mob "shouting threats to us, to kill us, to hurt us, but also threats ... shouting 'say her name,' Breonna Taylor."
It was impossible to reason with them he said, because he happens to be the author of the law to end no-knock raids that bears the name of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old African American who was fatally shot by police in Louisville, Kentucky, in March.
"The irony is lost on these idiots that they're trying to kill the person who's actually trying to get rid of no-knock raids," he said.
Paul said he's authored 22 criminal justice reforms with President Trump and former President Obama.
Yet the demonstrators were still yelling: "We're not going to let you go alive unless you'll say you're for criminal justice reform."
Thursday night felt like being in a terrifying dystopian novel. The mob swarmed me and my husband, Sen. Rand Paul, in a tight circle, screaming expletives, threats, and shouting, "Say her name." We rushed up to two police officers, and I believe that is the only thing that kept us from being knocked to the ground. Even pressed against the officers, we were greatly outnumbered.
As the mob grew and became more threatening, we literally could not move, and neither could the two officers for several minutes. The rioters were inches from us, screaming in our faces.
That was the worst part. At first, I attempted to meet the eyes of one of the protesters and tried to explain that Rand authored the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act, but it seemed to just infuriate them more, as they called me a "bitch" and "racist wh---" alongside an endless torrent of "f--- yous."
That was the worst part. At first, I attempted to meet the eyes of one of the protesters and tried to explain that Rand authored the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act, but it seemed to just infuriate them more, as they called me a "bitch" and "racist wh---" alongside an endless torrent of "f--- yous."
Mobs are terrifying. They looked at us with no humanity — just a vicious and righteous zeal. After that, I just kept my eyes down and prayed. All I could think of was the driver who was pulled from his car, viciously kicked in the head and left lying in his own blood in Portland, Oregon, last week.
After several harrowing minutes, additional officers arrived with bikes and surrounded us to create a moving barricade to escort us to safety. The video showing us walking is after the additional police had arrived. Before that, we were pinned in the center of a swirling maelstrom of hatred and threats. Those in the media and in government who have downplayed the last three months of burning, shootings, murder, looting, and destruction have fomented this horrific violence.
Since his election in 2010, Rand has made criminal justice reform a priority and has sponsored dozens of bills to address civil asset forfeiture, overcriminalization of nonviolent drug offenses, and the racial disparities in sentencing caused by the 1994 crime bill. I serve on the board of a bipartisan criminal justice reform group and worked hard to lobby for passage of the First Step Act. I have appeared with Alice Marie Johnson and Matthew Charles at events and on various TV programs to advocate for more reforms.
The mob screaming in our faces seemed ignorant of the fact that Rand had authored the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act, calling for a ban on no-knock raids. Either that or they just didn’t care because their hatred of President Trump makes them feel righteous and justified as they terrorize people and burn cities.
No comments:
Post a Comment