A veteran in uniform who spoke out in favor of GOP presidential contender Ron Paul and his foreign-policy views after the Iowa Republican caucus could face discipline for potentially having violated military regulations, according to Defense Department officials. But the soldier has already gained a tremendous following online among Pauls enthusiastic supporters.
After caucusing for the top-tier candidate Rep. Paul (R-Texas), Cpl. Jesse Thorsen spoke to CNN about why he supported the 12-term Congressmans bid for the Republican nomination. The veteran of the Afghanistan war also called for peace and warned against starting more wars overseas before being abruptly cut off, apparently because of technical problems.
Im really excited about a lot of his ideas especially when it comes to bringing the soldiers home, the 28-year-old corporal told the CNN interviewer about Dr. Paul before the video feed dropped. Ive been serving for 10 years now and all 10 years of those have been during wartime. Id like to see a little peacetime army and I think he has the right idea.
As Thorsen continued to speak, the connection was broken, prompting some Paul supporters online to suspect that CNN might have deliberately cut the transmission. But later that night at a post-caucus rally, Ron Paul himself invited Thorsen to the podium to finish his remarks.
How bout Ron Paul! Thorsen said as the crowd cheered. If theres any man out there thats had a vision out there, it is definitely him. His foreign policy is by far, hands down better than any other candidates out there, and Im sure you all know that. We dont need to be picking fights overseas and I think everybody else knows that, too.
Saying he was flabbergasted, Thorsen compared the experience to meeting a rock star. He concluded by saying campaign supporters would continue their efforts in New Hampshire and across the nation to ensure that the liberty-minded Dr. Paul would be elected the next President.
But according to some U.S. officials cited in news reports, Thorsen should not have publicly backed a candidate while in uniform. The actions may potentially have even been a violation of a Defense Department directive forbidding service members from making inferences that their political activities imply or appear to imply official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement.