Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told cadets at The Citadel in South Carolina today that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should be disqualified from being president because she did not provide "adequate security" to the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

"Her failure to provide our ambassador and his mission with adequate security should preclude Hillary Clinton from ever holding high office again," Paul said Tuesday during a speech for The Citadel's Greater Issues Series.

Without naming names, Paul said he believes the decision not to send reinforcement troops into Benghazi on the night of the Sept. 11, 2012 attack was made by a "politician," not a military commander, and suggested that politician should not be allowed to serve as commander-in-chief.

"There were still people alive and fighting for hours upon hours, and there were some people in Tripoli who could have gone. I don't think that decision was made by a military person. I think it was made ultimately by a politician," Paul said.

"We should never have a commander in chief who is unwilling to send in troops for reinforcement or in the six month period of time, did not send adequate security when it was asked for repeatedly," Paul said. "To me, that should preclude you from ever holding high office."

Paul has made similar comments regarding Clinton and Benghazi in the past, but Paul's statement today came during a two-day swing through South Carolina, an early primary state where the Kentucky Republican could battle for the Republican presidential nomination in just over two years.