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"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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Rand Paul will vote against Trump's pick for attorney ...

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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Rand Paul owns warmongers in epic 'Festivus Twitterstorm ...

Mr. Pauls rivals portray him as trying to be too many things to too many different people. And his efforts to sell himself as a new kind of Republican may be complicated by his views on foreign aid: He supported abolishing it altogether, but then, under pressure from the right, carved out an exception for Israel though Jewish conservatives remain wary of him. Mr. Paul has tried to explain away such inconsistencies by insisting that the news media or his critics were twisting his words, when in fact they were not. His occasional testiness, indeed, suggests a temperament that may not wear well under the hot glare of a long campaign. But his biggest problem could be Republican foreign-policy hawks, like John Bolton, the former United Nations ambassador, who are mobilizing to make sure that Mr. Paul, whom they see as dangerously isolationist, does not get very far.

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What Rand Paul Would Need to Do to Win - The New York Times

Bowling Green, Ky. Sen. Rand Paul has been awarded more than $580,000 in damages and medical expenses Wednesday in his lawsuit against the neighbor who tackled him and broke several of his ribs. The surprise attack by Rene Boucher occurred in 2017 while the Republican lawmaker was doing yard work at his Kentucky home.

On Wednesday, a Kentucky jury awarded $375,000 in punitive damages and $200,000 for pain and suffering, plus $7,834 for medical expenses. They had deliberated for less than two hours.

Paul had testified during the three-day trial he feared for his life as he struggled to breathe after Boucher slammed into him in their upscale Bowling Green neighborhood.

Paul said afterward he hopes the jury's verdict sends a "clear message that violence is not the answer."

"This lawsuit wasn't about me. It was about all of us and what we find acceptable as a society. We need to send a clear message that violence is not the answer anytime, anywhere," Paul said. "We can hold different views, whether it's politics, religion or day to day matters."

Boucher's lawyer, Matt Baker, said they will appeal.

"We all expected that Sen. Paul would get a verdict in his favor," Baker said. "This far exceeds anything that we were expecting."

The trial included testimony from doctors as well as other neighbors, but the most riveting testimony came from Paul and Boucher. Paul, a former GOP presidential candidate, told the jury Monday that immediately after the attack, "the thought crossed my mind that I may never get up from this lawn again."

An apologetic Boucher acknowledged he wasn't thinking rationally and called it "two minutes of my life I wish I could take back." Paul showed no outward emotion, sitting between his lawyer and his wife in the courtroom, as Boucher recounted the attack.

In his lawsuit, Paul sought up to $500,000 in compensatory damages and up to $1 million in punitive damages. Baker conceded during the trial that a "reasonable award" might be in order for Paul's pain and suffering but said no punitive damages should be awarded. Baker said that Paul had resumed his "customary lifestyle" that includes golf and a skiing excursion.

After the verdict, Baker said "multiple issues" will come up during their appeal. Asked if Boucher has the financial resources to pay the damages, the attorney replied: "We're going to talk about that."

Boucher has already served a 30-day prison sentence after pleading guilty to assaulting a member of Congress. Federal prosecutors have appealed, saying 21 months would have been appropriate. Boucher also paid a $10,000 fine and served 100 hours of community service in the criminal case.

Both Paul and Boucher recounted with great detail their accounts of the attack.

Paul testified he got off his riding mower to pick up a stick and was straightening up when Boucher hit him from behind with such force both flew through the air 5 or 10 feet. He said he was wearing noise-canceling headphones and didn't hear Boucher coming toward him.

For a moment, Paul said, he had a flashback to the 2017 shooting at a baseball field when members of Congress were practicing for a game. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana suffered serious injuries in that shooting.

The attack in Paul's yard was motivated by lawn care, not politics.

Boucher told the jury he attacked Paul after watching the senator begin forming a brush pile near their property line.

The day before the attack, Boucher said, he had burned another brush pile Paul had created near the boundary. He doused that pile with gasoline and set it on fire, Boucher said. An explosion burned his face, neck and arms, and Boucher said he was still in severe pain when he attacked Paul the next day. Boucher testified he had hauled away previous brush piles accumulated by Paul without asking the senator.

Boucher testified he tried to talk to Paul about his lawn maintenance concerns, but was rebuffed. Paul maintained in his testimony he kept any brush pile on his own property.

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Jury awards Rand Paul more than $580K after attack by ...

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Jan. 31, 2019, 2:20 AM GMT

By Associated Press

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul was awarded more than $580,000 in damages and medical expenses on Wednesday in his lawsuit against the neighbor who tackled him and broke several of his ribs in a dispute over lawn maintenance.

A jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, deliberated less than two hours before delivering the award to the Republican lawmaker who had been attacked while doing yard work at his Kentucky home.

Paul had testified during the three-day trial that he feared for his life as he struggled to breathe after Rene Boucher slammed into him in their upscale Bowling Green neighborhood in late 2017.

The jury awarded $375,000 in punitive damages and $200,000 for pain and suffering, plus $7,834 for medical expenses.

Afterward, Paul said in a statement that he hoped the verdict would send a "clear message that violence is not the answer anytime, anywhere."

Boucher's attorney, Matt Baker, said they would appeal.

"We all expected that Sen. Paul would get a verdict in his favor," Baker said. "This far exceeds anything that we were expecting."

The trial included testimony from doctors as well as other neighbors, but the most riveting testimony came from Paul and Boucher. Paul, a former GOP presidential candidate, told the jury Monday that immediately after the attack, "the thought crossed my mind that I may never get up from this lawn again."

An apologetic Boucher acknowledged he wasn't thinking rationally and called it "two minutes of my life I wish I could take back." Paul showed no outward emotion, sitting between his lawyer and his wife in the courtroom, as Boucher recounted the attack.

In his lawsuit, Paul sought up to $500,000 in compensatory damages and up to $1 million in punitive damages. Baker had conceded a "reasonable award" might be in order for Paul's pain and suffering but said no punitive damages should be awarded. Baker said that Paul had resumed his "customary lifestyle" that includes golf and a skiing vacation.

Boucher has already served a 30-day prison sentence after pleading guilty to assaulting a member of Congress. Federal prosecutors have appealed, saying 21 months would have been appropriate. Boucher also was fined $10,000 and served 100 hours of community service in the criminal case.

Both Paul and Boucher recounted with great detail their accounts of the attack.

Paul testified that he got off his riding mower to pick up a stick and was straightening up when Boucher hit him with such force that both flew through the air 5 or 10 feet.

For a moment, Paul said, he had a flashback to the 2017 shooting at a baseball field when members of Congress were practicing for a game. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana suffered serious injuries in the shooting.

The attack in Paul's yard was motivated by lawn care, not politics.

Boucher told the jury that he attacked Paul after watching the senator start forming a brush pile near their property line.

The day before the attack, Boucher said he had burned another brush pile that Paul had created near the boundary. He doused that pile with gasoline and set it on fire, Boucher said. An explosion burned his face, neck and arms, and Boucher said he was still in severe pain when he attacked Paul the next day. Boucher testified he had hauled away previous brush piles accumulated by Paul without asking the senator.

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Sen. Rand Paul awarded more than $580,000 in suit over ...