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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Tuesday spoke against slapping new sanctions on Russia for what the U.S. intelligence community believes was widespread interference in the 2016 election.

Asked about how the U.S. should respond to Russian hackers, Paul said during an interview, "I'm really not in favor of new sanctions against Russia now or new sanctions on Iran."

He added, "Everything we say Russia's done wrong. So China does," before listing off examples of cyber-espionage, suppressing freedom of speech and human rights violations.

Paul made the comments as the Senate is on the cusp of passing a bipartisan Iran sanctions bill, which also includes sanctions against Russia.

When pressed on a proper U.S. response to Russian meddling, he belittled sanctions as akin to "tweaking their nose" and said improved cyber-security is what the U.S. really needs.

After all, "everybody in the world who can spy, spies," he said, including the U.S.

The Obama administration administered sanctions against Russia for its aggression against Ukraine in 2014, and another round was put in place last December, along with ordering dozens of diplomats out of the country in retaliation for Russia's alleged election meddling.

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Rand Paul opposes new sanctions against Russia: It's just 'tweaking their nose' - Washington Examiner

Senator Rand Paul was at Wednesdays Congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, when a shooter opened fire. He has spoken with various media outlets about what happened. You can listen to one of those interviews in the video above.

I was in the right field batting cageAnd the first thing we heard was a loud gunshot nobody really dove for the dirt with the first shot, there was a couple of seconds, but then there was a succession of maybe five or 10 shots in a row and people began to drop, Paul said.

It was also sort of a killing field. It was wide open with an AR-15, he added. He was hiding behind a tree.

Congressman Steve Scalise was shot in the hip. He was listed in stable condition but was taken into surgery shortly after being transported to the hospital. A statement on his condition is below.

In addition to Scalise, two Capitol police officers were hit by gunfire, according to WUSA9.

I do believe without the Capitol police, it would have been a massacre there would have been no stopping this guy, Paul added.

Video emerged showing wounded Rep. Steve Scalise being carried away on a stretcher after being shot during a mass shooting at a Congressional baseball practice.

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LISTEN: Rand Paul Says 'We Were Like Sitting Ducks' - Heavy.com

WASHINGTON (LEX 18/NBC) -- Kentucky Senator Rand Paul was at the scene of the mass shooting at an Alexandria, Virginia baseball field during a congressional baseball practice.

The shooting injured five people, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise. Sources say one Capitol Police was also shot.

Sen. Rand Paul was in a batting cage and witnessed the incident. He praised Capitol Police officers and their quick action saying that the situation would have escalated in their absence.

"It would have been a massacre," Paul said.

The Senator struggled to make sense of the incident, "You know, we live in this great, free and open country, and it's just sad that it's come to this and it's truly one of the best things we do. A bipartisan thing. I've gotten to know many Democrats through this game. We joke around, it's collegial. It's for charity. We're set to raise 600-thousand dollars for the Literacy Project and the Boys and Girls Club of D.C. It's a good thing. Who would want to kill people trying to do something good? It's really sick and very sad."

Paul believed that the weapon sounded like an AR-15 rifle. He was uninjured.

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Kentucky Senator Rand Paul Praises Capitol Police - LEX18.com | Continuous News and StormTracker Weather - LEX18 Lexington KY News

The shooting of House Majority whip Steve Scalise during a congressional baseball practice today is still a developing and fluid story. Not much is known about the assailant yet other than eyewitness accounts that he was a white male who was described as roughly 40 to 50 years of age. No motivation has yet been suggested until Senator Rand Paul, who was he, himself, a participant in the practice, called into New Day on CNN.

Co-host Alisyn Camerota asked Mr. Paul if he had the feeling that the assailant knew that he was attacking lawmakers, to which Paul replied I cant verify everything, but I think there is some saying they may have heard that it was politically motivated.

There have been unverified accounts that the shooter asked if the participants were Republicans or Democrats, though it appears that the event was a bipartisan activity.

Watch the clip above, courtesy of CNN.

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Excerpt from:
Senator Rand Paul Suggests Shooter Was 'Politically Motivated' in Call to CNN - Mediaite

The answer is the Congressional Baseball Game, a tradition among lawmakers going back to the early part of the 20th Century that in recent years has raised $600,000 for charity.

"It's one of the best things we do," Sen. Rand Paul, who was at the practice when the shooting broke out, told CNN Wednesday morning.

In the run-up to the game, which is scheduled to be played tomorrow at Nationals Park, both sides -- Republicans and Democrats -- hold early-morning practices in neighborhoods around Washington.

Over the past two decades, the game grew into a bigger and bigger deal. When I covered the game for Roll Call in the early 2000s -- I attended the game as a fan several other times -- it was played in Prince George's County at the home of the Bowie Baysox. It moved to RFK Stadium in Washington, DC for a brief period in the 2000s. The game has been at Nationals Park since 2008.

These are generally lighthearted affairs, as CNN's Chris Moody found when he attended back in 2015 and saw President Obama cheering against Paul, who was then just getting ready to mount a bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

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The Congressional baseball game is a long-running, bipartisan tradition - CNN