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Paul to announce opposition to possible Trump pick for State Dept. No. 2

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<p>Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has reportedly dropped out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination.</p><p><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CaS4XLnWcAAsNMW.png (" target="_blank">Paul said in a statement</a>: "Although, today I will suspend my campaign for President, the fight is far from over. I will continue to carry the torch for Liberty in the United States Senate and I look forward to earning the privilege to represent the people of Kentucky for another term." (Video via <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVRFm5Er6OI" target="_blank">Fox News</a>) </p><p>Paul's <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/2016_republican_presidential_nomination-3823.html#polls" target="_blank">poll numbers started in the double digits</a>, but as more candidates joined the field, his popularity waned. (Video via <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eopSPCzJk4U" target="_blank">Rand Paul for President</a>)</p><p>Paul received about <a href="http://graphics.wsj.com/elections/2016/iowa-caucus-results/" target="_blank">4.5 percent of the vote</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo30aqqpNpA" target="_blank">at the Iowa caucuses</a> on Tuesday, finishing in a distant fifth place. Recent polls projected Paul would finish with roughly 2-3 percent of the vote in the New Hampshire primaries next Tuesday.</p><p>"Here in New Hampshire, there is a big contingent of Libertarian voters. These are folks who are supportive of Rand Paul. Now, as we head into Tuesday, where will those voters go?" <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/03/politics/rand-paul-dropping-out-of-presidential-race/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>.</p><p>Paul is expected to run for another term in the U.S. Senate. He's up for re-election this year. (Video via <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reo6YKU3lI4" target="_blank">C-SPAN</a>)</p><p><i>This video includes images from Getty Images.</i></p>
Posted at 3:04 AM, Feb 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-07 03:04:09-05
(CNN) -- Republican Sen. Rand Paul, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and potentially the deciding vote, will announce Tuesday his opposition to the possible picking of Elliot Abrams for deputy secretary of state, according to a senior aide close to the Kentucky senator.
 
Paul's disapproval could set up a rocky confirmation process for the No. 2 position at State, should Abrams, a top contender for the spot, be tapped by President Donald Trump.
 
While the White House didn't list Abrams officially on the President's schedule, CNN has reported he is slated to be at Tuesday's meeting with Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
 
Paul will cite Abrams' previous support of the Iraq War and his record taking different stances than the President on key foreign policy issues, the aide said.
 
He will also bring up the fact that Abrams was convicted on two misdemeanor accounts for withholding information to Congress about the Iran-Contra affair. He was later pardoned by President George H.W. Bush.
 
"In a country of 300 million people, surely there are reasonable foreign policy experts who have not been convicted of deceiving Congress and actually share the President's foreign policy views," Paul will say in an op-ed set to publish Tuesday.
 
Paul is also opposed to John Bolton, another name who's been mentioned for this post.
 
CNN's Elise Labott contributed to this report.
 
The-CNN-Wire
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