LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is firing away at Democratic Party likely 2016 frontrunner former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton right after announcing his presidential campaign, telling Breitbart News in an exclusive interview—one of just a handful he’s done since announcing—that he expects a “wrath” of new questions to unfurl upon her about the Clinton Foundation and her email scandal before long.
“I think the American public is ultimately going to demand more answers from the Clintons,” Paul said.
The idea that they have that they’re above the law, I think that’s going to be contrary to what voters are going to expect from her. I think also at some point there’s going to be more that comes out about the Clinton Foundation and as that comes forward there’s going to be a whole wrath of new questions about their dealings with the Clinton Foundation. I think this is just beginning and some of these questions are going to kicked around some more.
In a previous interview with Breitbart News, Paul said he thinks Clinton “broke the law” when she used a private email account and server system as Secretary of State. Paul also, in his interview with Breitbart News, laid out how he believes he is different from the rest of the 2016 presidential field on the Republican side.
Paul’s statements on Hillary come as Peter Schweizer prepares to release a bombshell book on the Clinton Foundation and the House Benghazi Select Committee keeps digging into the email scandal.
“I think one thing is when you look at the polling in some of the purple states and blue states where we’ve had trouble winning, you see me doing better against Hillary Clinton than any other candidate right now,” Paul said. “I think that’s because the message we have attracts independents and I think that’s what you need to look for in trying to win a general election: A candidate who can attract independents. I’ve got the liberty message, and the message of ‘leave me alone’ is popular.”
A new poll from Public Policy Polling shows Paul, out of all the Republican contenders, does best with independents when up against Clinton.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, everyone from elements of the GOP establishment to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to Planned Parenthood to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and more in the Washington political world attacked Paul as he announced his presidential campaign.
“I think they’re very worried because I think we’ve tapped into a vein in America’s psyche and that’s one that attracts both Republicans and Democrats—and independents—I call it a third way,” Paul said when asked to respond to all the vitriol. “I think these people are very concerned at the monopoly that we’ve had for so long is threatened. This liberty message is going to attract a lot of new voters who never in the past have considered Republicans. I think for many this will be the first time they’ve considered a Republican.”
Paul said the reason why he thinks he is electable to the White House—and the reason he polls so well in Republican primaries, where he’s consistently in the top tier, and against Clinton in a potential general election—is because of the unique coalition he’s forming.
“There’s a group of people who are generally independent voters who are mostly fiscally conservative but want a more reasonable and rational foreign policy,” Paul said.
They also believe that as far as kids making youthful mistakes that we shouldn’t put them in jail for 20 and 30 years for nonviolent crimes. They’re looking for something different than what’s coming out of Washington. There’s also distrust with both parties and the sense that we have an $18 trillion debt but when the Republicans were in charge they doubled the debt and now that the Democrats are in charge they tripled it. Barack Obama is on course to add more debt that all the previous presidents combined. I think people are frustrated with both parties.
Paul, who said in his announcement speech here in Louisville that the GOP can’t nominate a “Democrat-light” in 2016 if they want to win, also told Breitbart News that support for Common Core centralized education in Washington—like what former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush supports—is a deal killer in the Republican primary.
“I think there’s been division in the Republican Party for a long time and that division has included conservatives like myself who believe that education is a state and local issue and the other, liberal wing has always believed in more federal government involvement,” Paul said.