Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is expressing his appreciation for the police after he and his wife were confronted by protesters while they were leaving the White House after the president’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night.
Appearing on Fox News on Friday, Paul detailed his experience and explained if it were not for law enforcement he is not sure he and his wife would have been safe.
Paul explained they decided to walk from the White House back to their hotel, and after they walked one block, they were met with a “mob” of 30 people.
“They all of a sudden saw me right as we got to the policeman fortunately or I don’t think we’d have survived,” Paul said.
He added, “We got to the policeman and the policeman I don’t think recognized me, and as they came closer, they were shouting my name, the crowd doubled to 60, and then it doubled again to 120.”
Watch the encounter below:
Paul said the policemen were forming a “barricade” with their bodies.
He claimed the crowd grew larger and began yelling threats, trying to push through the police to get to him, and grabbing at them.
Paul noted protesters were yelling, “Say her name,” about Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed by police in March in Kentucky.
He argued the “irony is lost on these idiots” because he is the author of the “Justice for Breonna Taylor Act,” legislation designed to prohibit no-knock warrants.
“I promise you had we not had the D.C. police to support us, we are thankful that we have police and we’ve got to wake up. We can’t have the whole country, we can’t have Joe Biden rule the country and have no police,” Paul said.
He added, “We can’t walk down the street in D.C. safely now. That’s how bad it is.”
