President Barack Obama's unilateral decision to normalize relations with Cuba and open an American embassy in the country was a legitimate use of executive power, said Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul.
"Diplomacy and where we have embassies, I think, have historically been part of the executive branch's purview," Paul said when asked by
BuzzFeed News if he felt the use of the executive authority was appropriate in the case of Cuba.
The potential 2016 presidential candidate said, however, that he continues to oppose many of the other executive actions undertaken by the president, and he pledged to roll back as many of those initiatives as he could if he became president, BuzzFeed reported.
"The biggest problem with President Obama's administration is that he's attempted to legislate and that's not his jurisdiction," Paul told reporters during a trip to New Hampshire Wednesday morning.
Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio, who was a harsh critic of the president's deal on Cuba, has described Paul as the "chief cheerleader of Obama's foreign policy," according to BuzzFeed.
"Rand, if he wants to become the chief cheerleader of Obama's foreign policy, he certainly has a right to do that," Rubio told ABC News. "I'm going to continue to oppose the Obama-Paul foreign policy on Cuba because I know it won't lead to freedom and liberty for the Cuban people, which is my sole interest here."
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