Sen. John McCain, a longtime proponent of arming the Free Syrian Army, is blasting fellow Republican Sen. Rand Paul for his resistance to the idea.
Paul said on
CBS' "This Morning" on Monday that he disagreed with President Barack Obama's plan to provide weapons to the Syrian rebels so they could provide ground support for a U.S. bombing campaign against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL.
Paul said that while he supports airstrikes, he fears ISIS would gain control of the weapons, especially considering a report over the weekend that the FSA and ISIS had agreed to a truce in their common fight against Syrian government forces.
McCain, appearing on Fox News Channel's
"Hannity" on Monday night, said he doesn't think there's a truce because he's in regular contact with members of the FSA.
Alluding to his own multiple trips to the region over the past several years, McCain asked, "Has Rand Paul ever been to Syria? Has he ever met with ISIS? Has he ever met with any of these people?"
McCain said that he had no interest in getting into a fight with Paul, but that Paul is wrong. "I know these people. I'm in contact with them all the time, and he is not."
McCain said he wants to know what people like Paul, who oppose arming the Syrian rebels, want to do instead.
"What is your option?" he asked. "No resistance whatsoever?"
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