Rand Paul goes after 'petty tyrant' Pelosi in pandemic protocol tirade
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) issued a rather bizarre video message on Sunday, coming down hard on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), mask mandates, and pandemic protocols affecting the in-person school year.
"It's time for us to resist. They can't arrest all of us," says Paul, thinking like a high school freshman attempting to convince his peers to skip class. "They can't keep all of your kids home from school. They can't keep every government building closed."
And despite his position in the Senate, where masks remained voluntary as of July 28 per guidance from Congress' attending physician, Paul goes on to decry "petty tyrant" Pelosi and her "drunk-with-power reign over the Capitol." He tells the speaker that he and his staff will make their own health choices, and will not comply with vaccine passports, mask mandates, or random COVID screening and testing.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Afterward, Paul notifies President Biden that "we will not accept [the CDC's] mandates," and baselessly calls the agency's mask guidelines "anti-science." He also threatens to delay or block the lawmaking process should the in-person school year or federal agency reopening be halted.
"We are at a moment of truth and a crossroads," Paul concludes. "Will we allow these people to use fear and propaganda to do further harm to our society, economy, and children? Or will we stand together and say, absolutely not. Not this time. I choose freedom."
Watch the full clip below:
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
The 7 best police procedurals of all timeThe Week Recommends There’s more to cops and robbers than just nabbing the bad guy at the end of the show
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Navy jet, helicopter crash half-hour apart off carrierSpeed Read A US Navy helicopter and a fighter jet both crashed in the same half-hour during separate operations
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
