Transcription: Senator Rand Paul in

The next is the transcription of an interview with Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Democrat, which was broadcast on “Fac The Nation with Margaret Brennan” on July 13, 2025.

Margaret Brennan: Now we go to the president of the National Security Committee, Senator Rand Paul, who joins us from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Good morning to you, senator.

Sen. Rand Paul: Thank you. Thanks for having

Margaret Brennan: Today is the one -year brand since the then Trump candidate was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania. You have published an accountability report, we have taken a look, and details that the assets were requested by the Secret Service, including the requests made by telephone, and were denied. He also says that former secretary director made false claims under oath when Kimberly Cheadle said there were no denials. Did you deceive or are you accusing it of lying?

Sen. Paul: She didn’t tell the truth. She said there were no assets requested in advance. We found at least four occasions, in reality, perhaps five occasions, where applications were made. The main application that was made by the detail of Trump’s secret service, as well as his campaign, was for the counter-signs. They refused against the counter-Snipers to Butler. Then, thank God, that day in Butler County, Pennsylvania, that was the first time he was allowed counter-Snipers. If he had not had a counterprojector, that murderer would have appeared again, he appeared again to continue shooting, and that was when he was taken. But, thank God, we had the counter-suipers there. But why were they denied for months and months? When they finally asked them, they appeared mysteriously, magically. They found them where they needed them. They were simply not striving enough. So, it was a waterfall of errors. It was just one mistake after another. When we talk to the people in charge of security, everyone pointed to another person. We said, who was responsible for that roof, the roof where the murderer lay with a direct vision line. No one wanted responsibility. Everyone said it was another person. There was a lot of time to get it from the stage. The suspicious person with the rank search engine that became the shooter, was often seen by the police suspicion. That should have been enough to get the president from the stage. Even with him on the roof, there was approximately a period of three minutes in which he could have been taken from the stage. And yet, no one was fired. Some of these people could be in charge of security for another presidential candidate. And, in reality, it is a danger that someone, one of the people who were in charge in Butler, could be in charge again. That is not right.

Margaret Brennan: Well, the president of the United States has said that he is satisfied with the answers he received regarding what went wrong. But, back at the point of not telling the truth to Congress: the report found that there were 10 occasions when the resources were requested and denied or not filled. And, in fact, when it came to Butler, the application for contravening drones was made by phone. So, when you say that someone does not tell the truth, is it that there was no record of applications and denials? Was this Congress knowingly? Or was this as a cover -up culture within the agency?

Sen. Paul I think it was a cultural cover -up for the agency. They didn’t want to evaluate guilt. They didn’t want to look internally. And they wanted to rule out any of their actions that could have led to this. This was a cover of your butt, and I think they knew it. There is no way for the secret service director not to know that these requests had been made. And then, yes, it was a great failure. And, if he speaks with the current head of the Secret Service, which was Trump’s main detail, and Trump has a lot of confidence, he will admit that these failures exist. But even the disciplinary action they finally took. They only took because I cited. I wanted to know who was disciplined. We were not going to launch the names, but I wanted to know who was disciplined and what the discipline was. They refused for a year to tell me that. They told me that a week ago, he saw the news reports, but some of the people were disciplined two weeks ago, so they were not going to discipline anyone until I quoted and asked them what they had done. But, in the end, no one was fired. The supervisor who learned of the person on the roof, who did not immediately told detail to withdraw the president of the stage, there was a delay of several minutes there. He stayed at work. He retired recently, but stayed at his work. So, no, I think even the investigation of the secret service was inadequate. But that is why we need to have the supervision of the Congress.

Margaret Brennan: Are you going to request that all assets requests be made in writing and not by phone, so that people can deny that they were ever asked for help?

Sen. Rand Paul: Yes, I think they were also made in writing, and I think some were made by phone, but I think those who did on the phone were following the things they did in writing. Someone was asking for assets. And think about it, President Trump has had extraordinary manifestations, regardless of what political perspective it comes, has extraordinary manifestations that have an extraordinary risk, much better, much greater risk than having, you know, 200 people in an auditorium where everyone is completely projected and the location is safe. These things really require many details. But do we ask the secret service who was in charge of that roof? How could you cross it three in the afternoon and see that roof? No one walked. No one was in charge. Everyone said, Oh, she was in charge of the roof or he was in charge of the roof. No one would admit being in charge of security for Butler.

Margaret Brennan: So there, the great and beautiful bill requested by the President gives $ 1.2 billion to the secret service. Does money fix it? And what do you tell the family member of the Knight murdered that day? Are we ever to know the reason for the shooter?

Sen. Rand Paul: You know, I think we are not going to know the reason, and I take it to the letter. I know many times when we don’t have something and we suspect something, we believe that the government is lying to us. And look, I have my doubts about the government at many levels, but I think that at this level, they have done everything possible and I do not think there is a secret response that they do not reveal to us. I think they just don’t know. What we do know are security failures, and that Corey Comeradore could have kept having a better security that day. And this child was seen four hours before the shooting. He was seen again 45 minutes before. Three minutes before firing the crowd they sing, man on a roof, man on a roof. 45 seconds for the end while gathering his weapon. 45 seconds is a long time. No one told them to remove the president of the stage. Inexcusable and terrible security, but whoever is in charge should have been fired, and really should never be in charge of this type of, or have this type of responsibility again.

Margaret Brennan: On the question of warned, but on a different subject. This Friday is the deadline for the Senate and the Chamber to vote a plan to recover around $ 9 billion for foreign aid, also including support for NPR and PBS. Some of his republican companions, such as rounds like Murkowski and Collins, have said that they are concerned about the cuts to local radio and public broadcasors in their areas. We look and in their state of Kentucky, public broadcasters provide emergency critical warnings for the government if there is a storm, for example. Do you worry that these types of cuts are in danger of people?

Sen. Rand Paul: You know, I started on public television, Ket in Kentucky, being a commentator of my group of taxpayers that I started. So, you know, I am not an enemy of public television, but at the same time we have a deficit of $ 2 billion, and what will be presented to us is a cut of $ 9 billion in expenses. And can we, and at least we should start reducing 9 billion? Yes, if I had my druthers and I could plan it, and I could present the package, I like the idea of cuts in all areas of a lower percentage. So, instead of taking 100% of public television, what you do is take 6% of everything. But the only way it works is that you literally have to take 6% of each dollar, and then you have to discover how to make it work so that the poor or those in need in our country. And you could do that. With a penny plan, you can balance your budget within six, within five years, but a real cut of 6% of everything is required. But I think people are more willing to accept a haircut on the things they like if everyone accepts the same type of cutting level.

Margaret Brennan: So are you saying that you are still going to vote for this? Are there 51 Republicans who are going to vote to reduce all these funds and withdraw it?

Sen. Rand Paul: I suspect he will be very close. I do not know if it will be modified in advance, but I cannot honestly look for Americans in my face and say that I will do something about the deficit if I cannot reduce 9 billion. Although there are people who make arguments for this, and I can argue a different way to cut it, we will present a cut of $ 9 billion and a deficit of $ 2.2 billion. So we have to reduce spending. I absolutely have to reduce spending.

Margaret Brennan: and a record impulse to the ceiling of the debt that has just occurred in the bill that did not vote, but the Republicans did. Senator Paul, thanks for your time today. We will return.

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