One of Sen. Rand Paul’s presidential campaign videos that appeared to violate Senate rules has been taken down. But a new campaign video seems to be taking advantage of a gray area in the rule.
A video titled, “Rand Paul: Filibuster for the Fourth Amendment,” posted online last week used video footage and audio from the Kentucky Republican’s marathon Senate speech about government surveillance, seemingly violating the Senate rule that prohibits the use of footage of Senate proceedings for campaign purposes. The video is no longer online, after the Senate Rules Committee took action Monday. “Use of any duplication of television coverage of the proceedings of the Senate for campaign purposes is strictly prohibited,” Senate Rules Committee spokesman Brian Hart wrote in an email to CQ Roll Call. “The Rules Committee advised Senator Paul’s office and they agreed to take the video down.”
The Senate Rules Committee communicated with Paul’s Senate office, not his campaign, Monday. The video, which was posted on the “Official YouTube Channel of Rand Paul for President,” is no longer posted.
Paul’s campaign launch video also raised questions about Senate footage rules, exposing a potential gray area by using footage of Paul on the Senate floor that was part of a Fox News package. And it appears his campaign has once again taken advantage of the gray area, posting a five-minute clip of Paul’s floor speech from Sunday.
The campaign YouTube account posted a video of Paul speaking on the floor, titled, “Rand Paul vows to force the expiration of the PATRIOT Act.” The clip is from a CNN broadcast of the speech and has more than 3,000 views so far.
It is possible that this video could be allowed to remain online, as Senate Rules Chairman Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said in April that the use of footage from a news show appeared to be within the rule.
Related:
Rand Paul Campaign Video Appears to Violate Senate Rules (Video)
As Campaigns Heat Up, Candidates Mind Senate Rules
It’s Rand Paul vs. Almost Everybody on Patriot Act (Updated)
Just Before Midnight, Rand Paul Ends ‘Filibuster’ (Updated)
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