Rand Paul Predicts Hillary Clinton Revelations Will ‘Shock People’
MILFORD, New Hampshire— -- Sen. Rand Paul spent part of his second day as an officially declared presidential candidate hinting that big revelations are coming “soon” about the foundation headed by the Clinton family, but declined to divulge specifics, pointing out “it wouldn’t be a secret anymore” if he did.
“I think there are things that went on at the Clinton Foundation that are going to shock people, and I think they’re going to make people question whether or not she should be president or not,” the Kentucky Republican said, speaking to reporters after his first campaign rally in New Hampshire.
The Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation has recently come under fire for accepting contributions from foreign countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Paul alluded to those donations in an interview on Fox News Tuesday night.
Bill Clinton defended the donations last month, asserting that the money had enabled the philanthropic organization to do “a lot more good than harm,” adding, “I’m going to tell you who gave us money and you can make up your mind after that.”
The Clinton Foundation declined to comment on Paul’s remarks today.
Paul, who officially announced his White House bid on Tuesday in Kentucky and made the Granite State the first stop on his kickoff campaign tour, said the state will be an important focus of his presidential campaign strategy and that its “leave me alone” attitude makes him a strong fit as a candidate here. (The state motto is “Live free or die”).
“New Hampshire is incredibly important to me, we will try very hard, we are going to do everything to win in New Hampshire,” he said, adding, “I think we do need to win in New Hampshire.”
The libertarian-leaning candidate also said he would like to do away with the Department of Education, an idea he said was originally part of President Ronald Reagan’s presidential platform.
“When Ronald Reagan ran in 1980, it became part of the platform that we were opposed to the Department of Education, I still am,” the 52-year-old physician said. “I think it ought to go back to the states.”
Paul went on to explain that there has long been a “deep philosophical divide” in the GOP when it comes to education and that he expects it to be a distinguishing factor in the Republican nominating contest, taking indirect aim at Jeb Bush, one of his most formidable likely opponents, by criticizing the education policies of his brother, President George W. Bush.
“Under a Republican administration, we doubled the size of the Department of Education and we now have warped into ‘No Child Left Behind’ and now ‘Common Core,’” Paul said. “This is a deep philosophical divide in the party and what you’ll see, and what I am seeing as I go about the country [is a] spontaneous movement that is unhappy about Washington telling them what kind of curriculum they can have in New Hampshire and I’m going to continue to fight it.”
He passed up the opportunity to distinguish himself from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the only other major GOP candidate officially in the race, but said that what sets him apart is that he has “tried to expand the Republican Party by taking the message to places Republicans haven’t gone,” listing off his visits to predominantly black communities. It’s a strategy that Paul said would make him competitive in a general election and more appealing to independent voters than “any other candidate.”
Asked about Arkansas’ religious liberty law, Paul replied “it’s hard to imagine you wouldn’t have religious liberties.”
The main event of Paul’s first full day as a candidate was a rally in Milford, a small town outside Manchester, where he drew wild cheers from the crowd.
“I come to New Hampshire to announce that I will fight for your right to be left alone,” he declared.
