Sen. Rand Paul appears to have one persistent stalwart on his side in his quest for the White House: His father.

“If you want to know what I really think about my son, Rand, then don’t listen to our national media,” says Ron Paul, both a former congressman and presidential hopeful himself.

“Don’t listen to the big government Washington insiders who’d love nothing more than another Bush/Clinton showdown in November of 2016,” Mr. Paul says of his son in a lengthy and strongly worded public campaign message.

“There is not one candidate who has run for president in my lifetime who can say they fully share my commitment to liberty, Austrian economics, small government, and following the Constitution, than my son, Rand Paul. That’s why I have wholeheartedly endorsed him.”

Mr. Paul, the senior, has also organized a public pledge of support for the candidate and has launched a fundraising effort. He says any rumors that father and son are at odds are manufactured “story lines” from the press.

“Truth is treason in the empire of lies. And nowhere is that more true than when it comes to Washington, D.C. and their media mouthpieces. Even where Rand and I do have minor differences of opinion, I would take Rand’s position over any of his opponents’ in both parties every time,” Mr. Paul says in his message, suggesting that news organizations have their GOP favorites.

“They fear Rand more than any other candidate. They know he is our best hope to restore liberty, limited government and the Bill of Rights and finally end the big spending status quo in Washington, D.C.,” the father says, citing his son’s opposition to the NSA’s bulk metadata collection program, Obamacare, “war fever,” the dangers of drones and the Federal Reserve - among other things

“He’s proven he’s unafraid to stand up to anyone in Washington when the times call for it - even the leadership of his own party,” Mr Paul says, later adding, “I’m proud to say I ‘Stand with Rand‘.”

The Republican senator is not on the campaign trail at the moment. The GOP candidate, an ophthalmologist, is in in Haiti performing charity eye surgery in a program organized by the Moran Eye Center from the University of Utah.

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