Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Wednesday slammed President Donald Trump for uninviting him and his family from the White House picnic.
Paul has opposed the Trump administrationâs decision to âactivelyâ seek to suspend habeas corpus. Habeas corpus â the constitutional freedom that translates to âyou should have the bodyâ in Latin â ensures that detained individuals, whether or not they are citizens, are able to physically appear in front of a judge.
âI think Iâm the first senator in the history of the United States to be uninvited to the White House picnic,â Paul told reporters on Wednesday. âI just find this incredibly petty. I mean â I have been, I think, nothing but polite to the president.â
The picnic is an annual event held by the White House on the South Lawn, which members from both aisles of Congress typically attend.
âTheyâve decided they want to declare war on my family and exclude us from the White House, and I just think itâs incredibly petty,â Paul added on Wednesday, saying that White House staffers are ârunning sort of a paid influencer campaign against me for two weeks on Twitter.â
Paul said his son, daughter-in-law and infant grandson were supposed to attend the picnic with him. He also added that he did not receive an explanation as to why they all were no longer invited, and heâs not sure if the revoked invitation came from Trump or his staffers.
Habeas corpus is âone most fundamental rights we have,â Paul said. âAnd the same people that are directing this campaign are the same people that casually would throw out parts of the Constitution and suspend habeas corpus. So, I think what it tells it they donât like hearing me say stuff like that, and so they want to quiet me down. And it hasnât worked, and so theyâre going to try to attack me.â
Paul has drawn Trumpâs ire on more than one occasion in recent days. Earlier this month, Paul voiced concerns about Trumpâs âbig, beautiful bill,â prompting Trump to take jabs at him online.
âRand Paul has very little understanding of the BBB, especially the tremendous GROWTH that is coming,â Trump said on his Truth Social platform. âHe loves voting âNOâ on everything, he thinks itâs good politics, but itâs not. The BBB is a big WINNER!!!â
Paul also criticized Trumpâs upcoming military parade on Saturday, Trumpâs birthday. Paul told HuffPost the parade reminded him of the Soviet Union and North Korea.
The White House did not immediately respond to HuffPostâs request for comment.
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