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"I have an open mind," Paul told CNN's Erin Burnett.

The Kentucky senator's libertarian foreign policy views often put him at odds with some in his party. To Paul, one of the critical focuses of the next administration must be learning from "the mistakes of the Iraq War."

He said he thinks this is something Trump understands, adding: "I want his secretary of state to, also."

More hawkish Republicans, such as Sens. John McCain and Marco Rubio, have expressed concern with Trump's nomination with regard to the relationship between Putin and and Tillerson, but Paul said: "I think we may be overstating the friendship aspect of this."

"He is the CEO of a major international company and his job is to make deals ... I don't think that means he accepts Putin's world view or is a supporter of what Putin has done in his country to suppress the media or invade other countries," Paul said.

On the whole, Russia's alleged involvement in the 2016 presidential election remains a polarizing news cycle topic. It's an idea that Trump himself has denounced, and Paul told Burnett he's of a similar mindset.

"I do think there is a certain amount of sour grapes in this and people are trying to make excuses for Hillary Clinton's loss," Paul said. Noting that Trump earned more than 70% of the votes in eastern Kentucky, the Bluegrass State senator suggested Clinton's loss was more about fossil fuels than it was about international cyberattacks.

"I don't think it had to do with the Russians, it had to do with their disagreement with the regulatory war on coal that costs us 20,000 jobs," he told the host of "Erin Burnett OutFront." "So I don't think the Russians influenced the elections."

Recognizing that Paul seemed awfully complimentary of the man that had regularly verbally abused him during the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, Burnett wondered if the two would be able to work together once Trump takes office.

"Well campaigns are obviously rough-and-tumble," Paul said. "We had our moments, but, yes, I think we'll be (able to work together). I am who I am, whether it's a Republican president or a Democrat president."

The rest is here:
Rand Paul on Rex Tillerson: 'I have an open mind ...

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These amendments this Bill of Rights said we could speak our minds, worship freely, defend ourselves, be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures, and expect to be treated fairly if accused of a crime.

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In contrast to almost all of the legislation Congress passes today, the Bill of Rights is full of language such as Congress shall make no law and The right of the people shall not be violated, along with a guarantee that non-delegated powers or those not specifically denied the states are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

With this document, the Founders drew a line in the sand a few inches from the governments feet.

Not all of these 225 years have been kind to the Bill of Rights, though. Its been challenged, debated, and far too often just ignored.

Dont be fooled into thinking this would have surprised the Founders.

We have the Bill of Rights precisely because the Founding Fathers knew government cant resist stretching its limits. Much like Benjamin Franklins reported statement that we had a Republic if we could keep it, the Bill of Rights relies on the people holding government accountable.

When some in government say of course we can, you and I are supposed to use the Bill of Rights to say, No, you cant.

Some believe government has grown too large to hold down with these chains, that its too late to rein it back in. If the Bill of Rights were mere words on paper, perhaps we could afford to indulge that feeling.

But they are not mere words. They are principles fundamental to who we are as a people and what we represent as a nation. If we stop caring enough to preserve them, we will lose more than a few liberties.

We will become something else entirely.

Thats one reason we must defend the entire Bill of Rights. If you expect to be able to speak freely, then surveillance that shreds the Fourth Amendment stops just being the other guys problem.

If you let the government decide the Second Amendment doesnt mean what it says, then why should it hold to a strict definition of due process or freedom of the press?

We dont have the luxury of playing favorites. We have the responsibility of getting it right.

In a time where so many are divided, this provides us with a clear path forward. We can unite on a Constitution that binds us together by the same standard, and we can demand all politicians stay within those rules to best benefit us all.

If that document needs to be changed, as the Founders expected it would, lets follow their example by properly amending it, as they did with the ten amendments we celebrate today.

Theres no better time than the present to drop the status quo and adopt this new approach.

I am excited for the upcoming opportunities we will have to institute long-overdue reforms, roll back an overzealous and misguided bureaucracy, and return to a government that works for the people instead of the special interests.

On this 225thanniversary, let us rededicate ourselves to the principles and boundaries found in the Bill of Rights, and let us recommit to passing them on honored and intact.

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Rand Paul: Restore the Bill of Rights - Breitbart

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul gave an indication today of the trouble that President-elect Trump may face from his own party in trying to fulfill campaign promises that cost money.

The former GOP presidential candidate said on ABC News' "This Week" that he "won't vote for a budget that never balances" and that he is working to find a few other conservative GOP senators to join him.

"The current budget that the Republicans are looking at never balances. How can that be fiscally responsible? And how can we look at the public with a straight face and say, yes, we ran on balanced budgets, we're for the balanced budget amendment, and yet the budget we're going to introduce, that we're going to repeal Obamacare with never balances?" Paul said.

Trump this week repeated his promise that he wants a trillion-dollar infrastructure program and he promised during the campaign to repeal Obamacare.

Paul said that with the help of other conservative senators he might be able to block a budget that he considers irresponsible.

"All it takes is a couple of us. If there are a few conservatives in the Senate wing of the Republican Party that will say no to a budget that never balances, we could have the power to say to the leadership, you know what, we need a better budget," Paul said.

"I don't know if it will happen, but I know that I will be one that won't vote for a budget that never balances," he said.

Paul also addressed reports that ExxonMobile CEO Rex Tillerson has emerged as a likely pick for secretary of state, saying that he is "going to reserve judgment on Tillerson."

But the Kentucky senator had strong warnings about former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton, who is a possible contender for secretary of state or deputy secretary of state.

"I'll do anything to try to prevent John Bolton from getting any position because I think his world view is naive," Paul said. "He still believes in regime change. He's still a big cheerleader for the Iraq War. He's promoted a nuclear attack by Israel on Iran. He wants to do regime change in Iran."

"John Bolton doesn't get it," Paul said.

Link:
Rand Paul Gives Glimpse of Trouble Trump May Face With His ...

With just six weeks until Inauguration Day, George Stephanopoulos goes one-on-one with President-elect Donald Trumps incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus, Sunday on This Week.

Then, Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY, and Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-MO, weigh in on how the Senate will work with the new Trump administration.

Plus, former Obama chief ethics lawyer Norman Eisen and former George W. Bush chief ethics lawyer Richard Painter discuss their call for Trump to cut ties with his business interests before entering the White House.

And the Powerhouse Roundtable debates the week in politics, with Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, Republican strategist and former Trump campaign senior adviser Sarah Huckabee, National Review editor Rich Lowry, and Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons.

See the whole political picture, Sunday on This Week.

Like This Week on Facebook here. You can also follow the show on Twitter here.

Go here to find out when This Week is on in your area.

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Sunday on This Week: Reince Priebus, Sen. Rand Paul, and ...

Sen. Rand Paul has publicly voiced his disapproval of John Bolton as a potential member of Donald Trumps administration, and on Sunday said he would aim to block the nomination if Trump did give him a position.

"John Bolton doesn't get it," Paul said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."

"He still believes in regime change. He's still a big cheerleader for the Iraq War. John Bolton is so far out of it and has such a naive understanding of the world."

Bolton, who served as interim U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006, is being considered for the No. 2 spot at the State Department. He's not a popular pick on either side of the aisle and, his views have been described as "hawkish and at odds with Trump's campaign pitch for less military engagement in the world."

Bolton has called for a regime change in Iran as a long-term solution to help eliminate threats in the Middle East and has argued that the U.S. should step up its level of engagement with Taiwan.

"The president of the United States [will] talk to whomever he wants if he thinks it's in the interest of the United States, and nobody in Beijing gets to dictate who we talk to," Bolton said shortly after Trump's highly contested call to Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen.

He also still supports the decision to invade Iraq.

Paul says "no man is more out of touch with the situation in the Middle East or more dangerous to our national security than Bolton."

2016 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

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Rand Paul Threatens to Block Bolton Nomination