Rand Paul was accused of walking out of a live-streaming interview with the Guardian on Friday.
Paul had said "one more" question to the Guardian's Paul Lewis, who asked whether white Republicans really care about the criminal justice issues Paul has been talking about in an effort to broaden his reach. Paul told Lewis his "premise is incorrect" and said he could take the message to a "white evangelical church anywhere in Iowa" and still be received well. Lewis tried to ask a follow-up about poll results, at which point Paul looked off-camera and walked away. As Lewis came back on camera, the lights went out.
Almost immediately after the clip started to take hold on Twitter, Paul's team fired off a tweet saying it was time for the interview to end and denying that they were the ones who cut the lights.
We didn't turn the lights off and neither did my staff. CNN producers did. It was time for my interview with @DanaBashCNN - Team Rand
— Dr. Rand Paul (@RandPaul) April 10, 2015Lewis also acknowledged that it wasn't Paul's campaign that turned out the lights.
In fairness to @RandPaul campaign, they didn't turn off the lights. (A CNN producer did.) Still: a shame he ended interview so abruptly.
— Paul Lewis (@PaulLewis) April 10, 2015The encounter happened two days after Paul's tense interview with NBC's Savannah Guthrie, which prompted some to accuse him of condescending to female reporters, after he also shushed CNBC's Kelly Evans on the air earlier this year.
