Paul plans to force vote on $110B Saudi defense deal

[DonViejo]

Source: The Hill



BY MARK HENSCH - 05/23/17 02:30 PM EDT

Sen. Rand Paul intends to force a vote on a $110 billion defense deal President Trump signed with Saudi Arabia, according to an aide to the Kentucky Republican.

Paul is expected to introduce a measure to disapprove of the sale later on Wednesday, the aide said, over concerns that the deal may pull the U.S. into Yemen's civil war.

Under the Arms Export Control Act, Paul can force a vote after 10 calendar days. The Senate in September overwhelmingly rejected a similar move from Paul to halt a $1.15 billion arms sale between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

Paul argued that that deal, which the Obama administration approved last August, would interject the U.S. in Yemen’s civil war. Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition supporting the former Yemeni government. Trump last Saturday signed a deal with Saudi Arabia aimed at addressing the kingdom’s defenses amid threats from terrorist groups and Iran.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/334776-paul-plans-to-force-vote-on-110b-saudi-defense-deal-report

[titaniumsalute]

1. Republicans eating their own - LOVE IT

[Thomas Hurt]

2. but, but, but didn't FF45 play golf with Rand Paul and negotiate him to the dark side...

[nycbos]

3. Broken clocks are right twice a day.

[mhw]

4. We'll take an assist wherever we can get it.

If they vote NO does Ivanka have to give back the Saudis $100 million foundation check?

[riversedge]

5. nah, but Wilber might have to give back the 20 pounds of dates.

[mhw]

8. *

Omg...


Funny as heck..
Thanks

[Pluvious]

6. What about having to return the Hero of the Middle East bling ? (n/t)

[notdarkyet]

9. I read he doesn't get to keep it. In my distant memories , it seems I read objects of value

Given to presidents stay with the White House. I could be wrong.

[GReedDiamond]

11. Back in the 90s, I was given a private tour of the Reagan Library...

...by the (then) Director - who was a registered Democrat, btw.

He took me into the off limits areas, including into a room - I think it was in the basement - where there was a fully functional and running giant mainframe computer that was used by the Reagan Administration in the 80s.

The Director told me that they were required by law to keep it up and running, just in case any data stored on it were needed for any reason.

Also in the basement was a very large warehouse-like area with many rows of floor to ceiling steel shelves.

That's where all gifts to Ronnie, no matter who they were from, were stored. So, they don't stay in the White House, they go to the ex-Prez's official library.

The Director explained that they were the property of the 'Mercan People, not the Reagan Family or friends or whoever.

Amongst the items were high-end gifts from heads of state, along with stuff that random people had delivered to Reagan as tokens of their appreciation, I suppose.

One of those items was a giant ball of string, my memory says it was something like 3 to 4 feet in diameter.

Glad they're keeping track of that.

The cool thing was, I got to keep some large black and white photos mounted on gator board of 1960s era protest scenes that were used in a 60s Protests Exhibition which had just closed, so they were dismantling it. I took the pics of the Yippies, since I had been active in Yippie! in the early 70s into the 80s.

[notdarkyet]

12. Thanks. You think dump knows that?

[GReedDiamond]

13. Dipshit Donnie don't know shit...

...about shit.

So, no.

He probably stashed the Saudi bling in his dirty underwear bag.

No one's gonna look in there!

[Princess Turandot]

14. If they want to keep the gifts for personal use, they have to buy them from the government...

at the assessed value. They're stored in various US government places. There's an enormous amount of stuff in this category, because governments give gifts to more federal employees and their families than just the president.

You can see some of the Federal Register lists of gifts here: https://www.state.gov/s/cpr/c29447.htm The Saudis give out the most expensive stuff by far when a US president comes to visit them. (PBO/other presidents got what I think is a copy of the medallion the king put around their necks, w/o the chain). It's mostly just conspicuous spending: other than the medallion, their gifts seem intended just to be the most lavish, not ones with a connection to their country. One year, they gave 43's family a painting of the old American West valued at $1 million: it went to the government vaults. As did the extremely expensive ensembles of jewelry that they gave to Condi Rice, HRC and MO.

45 would probably buy his - if his slush fund...err...foundation wasn't under scrutiny by NYS!

[n2doc]

7. They'll all support it, or the vote won't happen

The Turtle will make sure of that.

[rogue emissary]

10. He'll back down after another round of playing golf with Donny.

He talks tough and then doesn't show up to vote. Mr. libertarian, anti-government intrusion. Didn't even bother to vote to stop ISP from selling your private internet history to whoever has the cash. He's done it time and time again where he makes some noise and then slinks away when the votes are counted.

[mr_lebowski]

15. Last 3 days I've been reading how Obama Admin had refused this deal but Donnie picked it up

Now the Hill is just all 'approved by Obama Last August', and nobody says shit about this little detail flying in the face of what tons here everyone have asserted as fact during that time?

Either a bunch of DU'ers were duped, or the Hill is lying ... I mean ... who can we trust to report correctly?

Sorting out the 'fake news' is actually getting annoying ...