Rand Paul under fire for using Patriot Act filibuster in campaign video

Has the Republican presidential hopeful been using his Patriot Act opposition for financial gain?

(Scott Olson | Getty Images)

Libertarian Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul may be celebrating the expiration of the US Patriot Act, but he could soon regret using his filibuster prowess in campaign material.

A video posted on "The Official YouTube Channel of Rand Paul for President" entitled "Rand Paul: Filibuster for the Fourth Amendment" shows footage of Mr Paul speaking out against the Patriot Act.

The NSA is now shutting down its mass surveillance servers after data collection powers were allowed to lapse by the Senate. Objections to the programmes used to capture US citizens' phone data - exposed by Edward Snowden - were led by Mr Paul.

While Mr Paul and his supporters claim that he is standing up for liberty and privacy, many senators and opponents have accused the presidential hopeful of using the topic to further his political aspirations. Senator John McCain accused Mr Paul of raising money for his presidential campaign: "He obviously has a higher priority for his fundraising and political ambitions than for the security of the nation."

In this light, Politico claimed the YouTube video of Mr Paul speaking against the Patriot Act violates US Senate laws, because according to the rules of the legislative body: "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 video of Mr Paul has links embedded in the footage linking to Mr Paul's official page. If a viewer clicks the link, they are automatically taken to a "Make a Donation" page where supporters can donate between $20.16 and $5,400, the website said.

According to Politico, representatives of Mr Paul did not respond to requests for a comment.