Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) is continuing his war of words against Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), warning Wednesday that a potential Paul presidency would be "disastrous."
Appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," the congressman accused Paul of "feeding into paranoia" with his views on foreign policy.
"I think his views would be disastrous," King said when asked about Paul's prospects as a potential presidential candidate. "I think he appeals to the lowest common denominator. This is an isolationist wing from the 1930s."
King continued: "Rand Paul brings it to this hysterical level. He talks about the CIA trying to kill Americans having coffee in Starbucks, when he talks about President Obama listening to his cell phone conversations. That to me is just feeding into paranoia. We do need an intelligent debate, and I don't think Rand Paul is capable of having that debate."
King has been a frequent critic of the freshman senator, who has spoken out against the National Security Agency's surveillance programs as well as the Obama administration's use of drones. Last month, King said Paul was "scaring Americans" with his criticism of the CIA. And in December, the New York Republican said Paul had "disgraced his office" by condemning Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
Paul's noninterventionist views have been the target of other conservatives in recent days. Following a report that Paul had in 2009 suggested former Vice President Dick Cheney pushed for the war in Iraq in order to benefit Halliburton, the Wall Street Journal's Bret Stephens accused the senator of "bark-at-the-moon lunacy." Meanwhile, the National Review's Rich Lowry suggested Paul's foreign policy is "more appropriate to a dorm-room bull session than the Situation Room."
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