Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul continued the back-and-forth between himself and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Wednesday, saying it appears the DNC's position is it's OK to kill unborn babies who are viable outside the womb.
The Kentucky senator, who announced his candidacy on Tuesday, made multiple press appearances on Wednesday. In an
Associated Press interview in New Hampshire, he declined to say whether he favored exceptions, such as rape, incest, or the life of the mother, when it came to abortion restrictions.
In a later stop, to which the Democratic National Committee had sent reporters, Paul said, "You go back and go ask Debbie Wasserman Schultz if she's OK with killing a 7-pound baby that's just not born yet," Paul said. "Ask her when life begins, and ask Debbie when she's willing to protect life. When you get an answer from Debbie, come back to me."
Wasserman Schultz issued a response, saying: "Here's an answer. I support letting women and their doctors make this decision without government getting involved. Period. End of story. Now your turn, Sen. Paul."
In an appearance Wednesday afternoon on
CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer," Paul responded.
"Well, it sounds like her answer is yes, that she's OK with killing a 7-pound baby," Paul said.
Paul said that even most of his pro-choice friends are opposed to allowing abortion all the way up to the moment of birth.
A November
Quinnipiac poll found that 60 percent of Americans, including 46 percent of Democrats, think abortions after five months should be banned.
"There's a bit of doubt and discussion earlier in pregnancy, but Debbie's position, which I guess is the Democrat Party position, that an abortion all the way up until the day of birth would be fine — I think really most pro-choice people would be a little uncomfortable with that," Paul said.
CNN's Blitzer also asked Paul about accusations that he is short-tempered with female interviewers. Paul's latest case came Wednesday morning when he cut off the
"Today" show's Savannah Guthrie. In February, Paul shushed CNBC anchor Kelly Evans.
On Wednesday,
The Washington Post's "The Fix" blog said, "Rand Paul’s problem with female interviewers just cropped up again."
Paul said he has been "universally short-tempered and testy with both male and female reporters." He said it is a problem he needs to work on. He said he had been testy with a male reporter earlier in the day.
"I think I should have more patience, but I think I'm pretty equal-opportunity," Paul said. "I will have to get better at holding my tongue and holding my temper."
Paul said it is hard to have "true interaction" sometimes when he is doing a remote interview and is looking only at a camera, "particularly if it's a hostile interviewer."
"If you get sort of two minutes of editorializing by the interviewer that draws conclusions, you feel somewhat at a loss on the other end," he said. "You can't see the person who you think is mischaracterizing a position and not really asking a question."
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