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Sen. Rand Paul is spending much of his time on Wednesday pushing back against Mitt Romney, tweeting a defense in the morning, then holding the conference call and also planning to appear on national TV. | Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images

Rand Paul savaged Mitt Romney over his criticisms of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, declaring that the new senator from Utah is virtue signaling to the media and that his critiques of Trumps character are bad for the country and bad for the GOP.

Romney (R-Utah), who will take office on Thursday, took a shot at Trump in a Washington Post op-ed on Tuesday asserting that Trump has not risen to the mantle of the presidency. Paul told a group of reporters that those comments risk limiting Romneys influence in the Senate GOP conference and that his new Republican colleague should focus on substantive, not personal, differences with the president.

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"This is bad for the Republican Party and really bad for an ability to work together in the Senate to get things done, when you take the time to attack someones character, Paul said, lumping Romney in with Never Trumpers in the GOP. Its virtue signaling. They say: Look at how terrible the character of the president is. And by doing so they are building themselves up.

The Kentucky Republican ran against Trump in the 2016 race and exchanged harsh criticisms with Trump during their primary campaign but has since become one of the presidents closest allies despite occasionally voting against Trump's nominees and legislative proposals.

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Paul is spending much of his time on Wednesday pushing back against Romney, tweeting a defense in the morning, then holding the conference call with reporters and also planning to appear on national TV.

Two of the most vocal Republican Trump critics, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Bob Corker of Tennessee, are retiring after Wednesday, leaving a void in the conference that Romney may now be eager to fill. But Paul said Romney misjudged the appetite in the Senate GOP for Trump criticism by writing about Trumps character shortfall.

I just dont think it serves any usefulness for Republican senators to be out there attacking the character of the president, Paul said. How the president presents himself is up to him, but I dont think it does anyone any good to be running around saying: Im holier than thou, look at me.

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Rand Paul rips Romney for criticizing Trump - POLITICO

Paulhas a well-stocked political action committee, called Reinventing a New Direction, or RANDPAC.

Paul spent much more on travel, food and drink combined last year than he did on the original purpose for such politician PACs to use this separate political stash to make contributions to other like-minded candidates.

Just 10 percent of its spending went to contributions to campaigns of other politicians. It donated just $9,500 to Republicans running in high-stakes races for the Kentucky General Assembly.

Paul spokeswoman Kelsey Coopersaid all expenses of Pauls PAC are madewith the purpose to support candidates Sen. Paul likes for office, to promote the issues that he cares about that make him a different kind of Republican, and to have activists and donors from around the country who believe in his message of liberty and action.

But Pauls PACgot most of its money from people not political action committees and much of that from small donors.

MAIN REPORT: McConnell andPaul spend their PAC money very differently

The Courier Journal examined reports filed by RANDPAC with the Federal Election Commission for the period covering Jan. 1, 2018, and Nov. 26, 2018. Here's a detailed look at how Paul gets and spends his PAC money.

RANDPAC reported $524,126in contributions. Of that, $470,626, or 90 percent, came from people, and only 10 percent from political action committees.

Of the money he got from people, more than a third came from small donors whose names do not have to be reported to the Federal Election Commission.

The larger donors listed in the report come from all over at least 41 states, plus a donor from the United Kingdom and one from Switzerland.

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Only 5 percent of the money from the identified donors came from Kentuckians.

RANDPAC spent $645,258 during the period.

Of that, 87percent or $560,008 was spent on what is officially reported as operating expenses.

Another $20,000 payment the largest single disbursement it made in 2018 was to a different Paul political committee called Freedom for All Americans, which FEC records show was formerly named "Rand Paul for President" and still carries debts that exceed its cash on hand.

That left 10 percent ($65,250) for contributions to other politicians.

The PACs operating expenses included at $96,323on travel and at least $32,236on food and drink expenses.

Last week the PAC amended several of its 2018 reports after the Courier Journal asked questions about omitted details in its original reports regarding where certain expenses were incurred.

Consider this: Mitch McConnell spends most of his PAC money on Republican candidates

Travel expenses included: $3,618.89 paid to the Ritz Carlton,Chevy Chase, Maryland; $2,577.20 to the Royal Palms Resort,in Phoenix; $1,809.60 to the Stanford Park Hotel, Menlo Park, California; $1,604.42 at the Grand Summit Hotel, Park City, Utah; $1,085.62 at the Balboa Bay Resort, Newport Beach, California; $889.32 at the Mirror Room, in London; $678.27 to Royal Horseguards Hotel, in London; $441.35 to Scottsdale Plaza Resort, Paradise Valley, Arizona; and $375.18 to the Naples Park Central Hotel, Naples, Florida.

Some travel expenses, at least $14,200, were for travel by Paul's wife, Kelley Paul. Paul's spokeswoman, KelseyCoopermsaid, "Kelley Paul is an active surrogate for Sen. Paul and RANDPAC, and she often travels both with and without the senator for events such as fundraisers, conferences and other activities supporting RANDPAC's mission."

Travel expenses also included 393 payments to Uber Technologies, totaling $10,206.36.

Read this: Sen. Rand Paul says the free market pushed him to Canada for surgery

Big food and drink bills included $9,254.50 at North Beach Restaurant, San Francisco; $4,441.28 at Maggianos, (a chain based in Dallas but with locations in many cities); $3,346.81 at the Caffe Molise, in Salt Lake City; another $1,343.58 tab at Maggianos;$921.95 at The Palm Too, in New York City; $904.14 at the Capital Grille,in Washington; $627 at the Tiburon Golf Club, in Naples, Florida; $426.84 at Richardsons Cuisine of New Mexico; and seven tabs at Washingtons Dubliner Restaurant totaling $1,260.65.

The largestoperating expense during the period was$132,000 paid to Douglass Stafford, for political strategy consulting. The PAC also covered expenses for other consultants, data entry, computer software, phone service, advertising, office supplies, printing and postage.

The PAC paid $935 to Nationals Park for tickets to the Congressional Baseball Game.

As for the big travel, food and drink costs, Cooper said, "Sen. Pauls fundraising and political events take him all over the country, and indeed parts of the world. These are common expenses for fundraising events. Like with any nonprofit, you have to spend money to raise money.

Cooper said many such expenses were "large donor dinners with some dinners including several dozen people in attendance."

See also: Lobbyists made big bucks to influence Kentucky legislators last year

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Douglas Christian/ZUMA Press/NewscomSen. Rand Paul (RKy.) said yesterday he'll oppose the confirmation of William Barr, who President Donald Trump has nominated to be the next attorney general.

"I'm a no," Paul told Politico yesterday. "He's been the chief advocate for warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens. I think that the Fourth Amendment should protect your phone calls and your bank information. People shouldn't be allowed to look at it without a warrant."

It's valid criticism. As the American Civil Liberties Union noted last month, Barr helped oversee a secret phone surveillance program when he led the Justice Department during the George H.W. Bush administration. For years, the feds collected phone records on calls made between people in the U.S. and those in countries connected to alleged drug trafficking activities. (For more on Barr's drug war, read Reason Senior Editor Jacob Sullum's column from December.)

This program would serve as a sort of precursor to the National Security Agency surveillance enabled by the PATRIOT Act following the 9/11 terror attacks. And while Barr was no longer working in the federal government by the time the PATRIOT Act was implemented, he still defended the program, which civil liberties advocates believe violated the Fourth Amendment's protections against warrantless searches. Testifying before the House Intelligence Committee in 2003, Barr even suggested the PATRIOT Act didn't go far enough.

Paul, for his part, has always been uneasy regarding Barr's nomination. "I'm concerned that he's been a big supporter of the PATRIOT Act, which lowered the standard for spying on Americans," the Kentucky Republican told Meet the Press in December. "And he even went so far as to say, you know, the PATRIOT Act was pretty good, but we should go much further."

"I can tell you, the first things that I've learned about him being for more surveillance of Americans is very, very troubling, Paul added.

Ultimately, Paul's opposition likely won't mean very much. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and it's hard to imagine that two other GOP senators will betray their party and vote no. Also, Alabama Democratic Sen. Doug Jones has already said he will vote to confirm Barr. The full Senate will likely vote on the nomination this week, according to Politico.

Bonus link: Paul has long been one of the Senate's most ardent critics of the PATRIOT Act. Here he is discussing that issue and others with Reason's Matt Welch in 2015:

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Here's Why Rand Paul Will Vote 'No' on AG Nominee William ...

"He's been the chief advocate for warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens," said Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul of attorney general nominee William Barr. The Senate is expected this week to vote on Barr's final confirmation. | Win McNamee/Getty Images

Sen. Rand Paul said Monday that he will vote against confirming President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, William Barr, citing his record on privacy issues.

"I'm a no," the Kentucky Republican said in a brief interview. "He's been the chief advocate for warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens. I think that the Fourth Amendment should protect your phone calls and your bank information. People shouldn't be allowed to look at it without a warrant."

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Paul previously criticized Barr's record on surveillance issues, including his support of the Patriot Act.

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The Senate is expected this week to vote on Barr's final confirmation. Despite Paul's opposition, Barr is expected to be confirmed with near unanimous support from Republicans. Moderate Republicans like Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah and Cory Gardner of Colorado have said they will support Barr's nomination. In addition, Democratic Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama said last week he would vote to confirm Barr.

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Barr's nomination Thursday along party lines. Senate Democrats voiced concern about whether Barr would make public the final results of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. In addition, they blasted Barr for a memo he wrote last year to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that described Mueller's inquiry into possible obstruction of justice by the president as "fatally misconceived."

Trump nominated Barr in December to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Trump grew frustrated with Sessions after he recused himself from the Mueller probe, which Trump has derided as a witch hunt.

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Taking a break from the busy legislative season, US Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) had a field day on Twitter, roasting President Donald Trump, Lindsey Graham and John Bolton among others.

Paul, who, likeother lawmakers, headed home for the holidays amid an ongoing partial government shutdown, has been using his spare time to make jabs at a few "people in Washington," sparing neither fellow senator, Trump advisor, nor the president himself.

Paul, who has praised Trump's decision to pull troops out of Syria, tore into the warmongering ways of National Security Adviser John Bolton and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) even comparing the latter to Star Wars arch-villain Palpatine (who, coincidentally, was a galactic Senator before becoming the dark Emperor).

Paul pitied Graham for being forced to witness American troop numbers in the Middle East dwindle and thus having to make do with the several other wars the US is still in.

Taking aim at Bolton, Paul tweeted that he would be delighted to see his face when Trump told him about his decision to leave Syria.

At this rate, Bolton's White House stay might just be the opposite of what he had bargained for and Paul is totally OK with that.

Showing himself to be a merciful winner, Paul promised to "go a bit easier" on the war advocates this year.

Paul said he "honestly" likes Trump, and even shared advice on how to mitigate some of the president's downsides such as Trumps inability to keep staff around. Paul praised one of the few people who've managed to hold on for a respectable amount of time: budget director, acting chief of staff and self-confessed "right-wing nut job" Mick Mulvaney.

Paul called Mulvaney "a good friend" who had served on Paul's own presidential campaign probably not the best example to bring up,the senator admitted.

Paul joked that his long phone calls with the President had not contributed in the least toward the justice reform he supports, highlighting Trumps notorious inability to listen to anyone but himself.

The Kentucky Senator, a supporter of the border wall, suggested some impressive-looking improvements to Trump's "artistically designed steel slats."

Trump's son-in-law and Middle Eastern policy adviser, Jared Kushner, tasked with finding a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli deadlock, earned a comparison with the son of Satan from a 1976 supernatural horror classic.

Not the best candidate to lead a peace process, according to Paul.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) tripped over his newly-grown beard when he tried to escape Paul's jests.

The Festivus Airing of grievances, which comes from a fictional holiday created by author Daniel O'Keefe and popularized by the famous The Strike episode of the TV show Seinfeld, has become an annual tradition for Paul. Festivus is celebrated as an alternative to and in protest of the commercialized Christmas holidays on December 23.

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