Rand Paul addresses Plagiarism allegations in new Speech
My Fellow Americans:
I come before you tonight as a candidate for the Presidency and as a man whose honesty and integrity have been questioned.
The usual political thing to do when charges are made against you is to either ignore them or to deny them without giving details.
I believe we’ve had enough of that in the United States, particularly with the present Administration in Washington, D.C. To me the office of the Presidency of the United States is a great office and I feel that the people have got to have confidence in the integrity of the men who run for that office and who might obtain it.
I have a theory, too, that the best and only answer to a smear or to an honest misunderstanding of the facts is to tell the truth. And that’s why I’m here tonight. I want to tell you my side of the case.
I am sure that you have read the charge and you’ve heard that I, Senator Paul, took 18,000 words from wikipedida..
Now, was that wrong? And let me say that it was wrong—I’m saying, incidentally, that it was wrong and not just illegal. Because it isn’t a question of whether it was legal or illegal, that isn’t enough. The question is, was it morally wrong?
I say that it was morally wrong if any of that 18,000 words went to Senator Paul for my personal use. I say that it was morally wrong if it was secretly given and secretly handled. And I say that it was morally wrong if any of the contributors got special favors for the contributions that they made.
And now to answer those questions let me say this:
Not one letter of the 18,000 words or any other words of that type ever went to me for my personal use.
And third, let me point out, and I want to make this particularly clear, that no contributor to these speeches, no contributor to any of my campaign, has ever received any consideration that he would not have received as they wrote the speeches themselves.
But then some of you will say and rightly, “Well, what did you use the words for, Senator? Why did you have to have it?”
Let me tell you in just a word how a Senate office operates. First of all, a Senator gets no speechwriters as a benefit of the job. He gets enough money to pay for one speech a year, a speech that is, for himself.
And then he gets an allowance to handle the people that work in his office, to handle his mail. And the allowance for my State of Kentucky is enough to hire thirteen people.
But there are other expenses which are not covered by the Government. And I think I can best discuss those expenses by asking you some questions.
Do you think that when I or any other Senator makes a political speech, has it printed, should charge the printing of that speech and the mailing of that speech to the taxpayers? Do you think, for example, when I or any other Senator makes a trip to his home state to make a purely political speech that the cost of that trip should be charged to the taxpayers? Do you think when a Senator makes political broadcasts or political television broadcasts, radio or television that the expense of those broadcasts should be charged to the taxpayers?
Well, I know what your answer is. It is the same answer that audiences give me whenever I discuss this particular problem. The answer is, “no.” The taxpayers shouldn’t be required to finance items which are not official business but which are primarily political business.
But then the question arises, you say, “Well, how do you pay for l these and how can you do it legally?” And there are several ways that it can be done, incidentally, and that it is done legally in the United States Senate and in the Congress.
The first way is to be a rich man. I don’t happen to be a rich man so I couldn’t use that one.
Another way that is used is to put your spouse on the payroll. Let me say, incidentally, my opponent, my opposite number for the Presidency on the Democratic ticket, Hilary Clinton, does have her spouse on the payroll. And has had him on his payroll for the ten years—the past ten years.
Now just let me say this. That’s his business and I’m not critical of her for doing that. You will have to pass judgment on that particular point. But I have never done that for this reason. I have found that there are so many deserving stenographers and secretaries in Washington that needed the work that I just didn’t feel it was right to put my wife on the payroll.
My wife’s sitting over here. She’s a wonderful stenographer. She used to teach stenography and she used to teach shorthand in high school. That was when I met her. And I can tell you folks that she’s worked many hours at night and many hours on Saturdays and Sundays in my office and she’s done a fine job copying and pasting from Wikipedia and other blogs. And I’m proud to say tonight that in the two years I’ve been in the Senate of the United States, Kelley Paul has never been on the Government payroll.
There are other ways that these speeches can be taken care of. Some who are doctors, and I happen to be a doctor, continue to practice medicine. But I haven’t been able to do that. I’m so far away from Kentucky that I’ve been so busy with my Senatorial work that I have not engaged in any legal practice.
And so I felt that the best way to handle these necessary political speeches of getting my message to the American people and the speeches I made, the speeches that I had printed, for the most part, concerned this one message—of exposing this Administration, the communism in it, the corruption in it—the only way that I could do that was to accept the words from Wikipedia and other publications as my own and glad to take.
Let me say, incidentally, that some of you may say, “Well, that’s all right, Senator; that’s your explanation, but have you got any proof?″
And I’d like to tell you this evening that just about an hour ago we received an independent audit of my entire speeches. I suggested an independent audit and legal report be obtained. And I have that audit here in my hand.
It’s an audit made by World Net Daily firm, and the legal opinion by Freerepubic.
And I’d like to read to you the opinion that was prepared by Freerepublic and based on all the pertinent laws and statutes, together with the audit report prepared by World Net Daily.
“It is our conclusion that Senator Paul did not obtain any word gain from the collection and disbursement from Wikipedia; that Senator Paul did not violate any Federal or state law by reason of the operation”, Jim Robinson, Freerepublc
Now that, my friends, is not Paul speaking, but that’s an independent audit which was requested because I want the American people to know all the facts and I’m not afraid of having independent people go in and check the facts, and that is exactly what they did.
But then I realize that there are still some who may say, and rightly so, and let me say that I recognize that some will continue to smear regardless of what the truth may be, but that there has been understandably some honest misunderstanding on this matter, and there’s some that will say:
“Well, maybe you were able, Senator, to fake this thing. How can we believe what you say? After all, is there a possibility that maybe you got some words from wikipedia? Is there a possibility that you may have feathered your own nest?” And so now what I am going to do-and incidentally this is unprecedented in the history of American politics-I am going at this time to give this television and radio audience a complete speech history; everything I’ve said; everything I’ve written; everything I say. And I want you to know the facts. I’ll have to start early.
I was born in 1963. Our family was one of modest circumstances and most of my early life was spent in a office in Lake Jackson, TX. It was a doctor’s office — one of those family enterprises. The only reason we were able to make it go was because my mother and dad had me and we all worked in the office.
I worked my way through college and to a great extent through medical school. And then, probably the best thing that ever happened to me happened, I married Kelley—who is sitting over here. We had a rather difficult time after we were married, like so many of the young couples who may be listening to us. I practiced medicine; she continued to write.
And, incidentally, as I said before, I have not engaged in any medical practice and have not accepted any fees from business that came to the firm after I went into politics.
One other thing I probably should tell you because if we don’t they’ll probably be saying this about me too, we did get something-a gift-after the election. A man down in Texas heard Kelley on the radio mention the fact that our three youngsters would like to have a dog. And, believe it or not, the day before we left on this campaign trip we got a message from Union Station in Baltimore saying they had a package for us. We went down to get it. You know what it was.
It was a little cocker spaniel dog in a crate that he’d sent all the way from Texas. Black and white spotted. And our little boy-Duncan, the 6-year old-named it Checkers. And you know, the kids, like all kids, love the dog and I just want to say this right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we’re gonna keep it.
It isn’t easy to come before a nation-wide audience and air your life as I’ve done. But I want to say some things before I conclude that I think most of you will agree on. Ms. Maddow made the statement that if a man didn’t have the words to be in the United States Senate he shouldn’t run for the Senate.
And I just want to make my position clear. I don’t agree with Ms. Maddow when she says that only a word rich man should serve his Government in the United States Senate or in the Congress. I don’t believe that represents the thinking of the Democratic Party, and I know that it doesn’t represent the thinking of the Republican Party.
I believe that it’s fine that a woman like Hillary Clinton who inherited word from her husband can run for President. But I also feel that it’s essential in this country of ours that a man of modest words can also run for President. Because, you know, remember Abraham Lincoln, you remember what he said: “God must have loved the common people—he made so many of them.”
Now, let me say this: I know that this is not the last of the smears. In spite of my explanation tonight other smears will be made; others have been made in the past. And the purpose of the smears, I know, is this—to silence me, to make me let up.
And as far as this is concerned, I intend to continue the fight.
Why do I feel so deeply? Why do I feel that in spite of the smears, the misunderstandings, the necessity for a man to come up here and bare his soul as I have? Why is it necessary for me to continue this fight?
And I want to tell you why. Because, you see, I love my country. And I think my country is in danger. And I think that the only man that can save America at this time is the man that’s running for President, me.
You say, “Why do I think it’s in danger?” and I say look at the record. Seven years of the Obama-Biden Administration and that’s happened? Three hundred million people put on Communists Obamacare, and a war in Afghanistan and Iraq in which we have lost 117,000 American casualties.
And I say to all of you that a policy that results in a loss of three hundred million people to the Communists Obamacare and a war which costs us 117,000 American casualties isn’t good enough for America.
And I say that those in the State Department that made the mistakes which caused Benghazi and which resulted in those losses should be kicked out of the State Department just as fast as we can get ‘em out of there.
And let me say that I know Hillary won’t do that. Because she defends the Obama policy and I know that I will do that, and that I will give America the leadership that it needs.
Take the problem of corruption. You’ve read about the mess in Washington. Hillary can’t clean it up because she was picked by the man, Obama, under whose Administration the mess was made. You wouldn’t trust a man who made the mess to clean it up— that’s Obama. And by the same token you can’t trust the woman who was picked by the man that made the mess to clean it up—and that’s Hillary.
And I owe nothing to the big city bosses; I am the man that can clean up the mess in Washington.
Take Communism. I say that as far as that subject is concerned, the danger is great to America. In the Snowden case they got the secrets which enabled them to break the American secret State Department code.
Now let me say that, finally, this evening I want to read to you just briefly excerpts from a letter which I received, a letter which, after all this is over, no one can take away from us. It reads as follows:
Dear Senator Paul:
Since I’m only 19 years of age I can’t vote in this Presidential election but believe me if I could you would certainly get my vote. My husband is in the Marines in Afghanistan. He’s a corpsman on the front lines and we have a two-month-old son he’s never seen. And I feel confident that with great Americans like you in the White House, lonely Americans like myself will be united with their loved ones now in Afghanistan.
I only pray to God that you won’t be too late. Enclosed is a small check to help you in your campaign. Living on $85 a month it is all I can afford at present. But let me know what else I can do.
Folks, it’s a check for $10, and it’s one that I will never cash.
And just let me say this. We hear a lot about prosperity these days but I say, why can’t we have prosperity built on peace rather than prosperity built on war? Why can’t we have prosperity and an honest government in Washington, D.C., at the same time. Believe me, we can. And I am the man that can lead this crusade to bring us that kind of prosperity.
And, now, finally, I know that you wonder whether or not I am going to stay on the Republican ticket or resign.
Let me say this: I don’t believe that I ought to quit because I’m not a quitter. And, incidentally, Kelley’s not a quitter. After all, her name was Kelley Ashley and she was born on St. Patrick’s Day, and you know the Irish never quit.
But the decision, my friends, is not mine. I would do nothing that would harm the possibilities of a republican to become President of the United States. And for that reason I am submitting to the Republican National Committee tonight through this television broadcast the decision which it is theirs to make.
Let them decide whether my position on the ticket will help or hurt. And I am going to ask you to help them decide. Wire and write the Republican National Committee whether you think I should stay on or whether I should get off. And whatever their decision is, I will abide by it.
But just let me say this last word. Regardless of what happens I’m going to continue this fight. I’m going to campaign up and down America until we drive the crooks and the Communists and those that defend them out of Washington.
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from someone else but to be completely honest with you I honestly don't give two shits what Handy Randy said to read that giant monster of a speech in which you have posted.
Fuck Rand Paul & all the bullshit he spews.
