Paul campaign video appears to run afoul of Senate rules

Sen. Rand Paul may have taken his stand against government surveillance a little too far in his presidential campaign.

In a campaign video released on Friday that includes explicit links to a campaign donation page, Paul (R-Ky.) extensively uses footage from his lengthy speech on the Senate floor on May 20 against bulk data collection and surveillance in the PATRIOT Act. The Senate “strictly” prohibits any use of its proceedings for campaign activities.


The video, published under the “Official YouTube Channel of Rand Paul for President,” says it is paid for by “Rand Paul for President” and includes a hyperlink to a secure donation page. According to the standing rules of the Senate, “The use of any tape duplication of radio or television coverage of the proceedings of the Senate for political campaign purposes is strictly prohibited.”

The campaign video begins with a clip of Ronald Reagan, quoting him from a 1964 speech on individual liberty saying that “those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course.” The video then pivots to Paul’s 10-hour speech earlier this month against the PATRIOT Act, three key provisions of which are set to expire on Sunday at midnight if Paul refuses to allow quick Senate votes.

“There comes a time in the history of nations when fear and complacency allow power to accumulate and liberty and privacy to suffer. That time is now,” Paul says on the Senate floor in the video. “We should be in open rebellion saying, ‘Enough’s enough, we’re not going to take it anymore.’ We should be in rebellion saying to our government that the Constitution that protects our freedoms must be obeyed.”

Paul has come close to running afoul of Senate rules before, using a Fox News clip of his 2013 filibuster in his campaign launch video, first reported by Time. But that video clearly showed a Fox News chyron in it, putting it in a grey area ethically. The most recent video includes no such indication that it is from news footage.

Campaign and Senate aides to Paul did not respond to a request for comment.