Rand Paul to pen new book ahead of 2016

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is working on a new book slated for release next year at the same time he decides on a potential 2016 presidential bid.

“Just coincide, probably just coincidence, yeah,” Paul jokingly told The Courier-Journal, about the timing of the release.

{mosads}The book release is likely to stoke speculation about a potential Paul run, with pre-campaign book-writing becoming a common practice among presidential candidates.

Hillary Clinton, a likely Democratic contender, released her memoir in June. 

Paul did not give many details about the forthcoming book but said that it would likely be about his unique approach, focusing heavily on policy. He said a possible subtitle is “Beyond Partisanship.” 

The Kentucky senator noted that he has worked with Democrats on criminal justice reforms and on legislation to rein in the National Security Agency. 

“And I’ve sided with some of the most conservative members of the Senate on areas of regulation and fiscal responsibility and taxation,” he continued. 

His office said it was still being written.

Paul has penned two other books: The Tea Party Goes to Washington in 2011, and Government Bullies in 2012. 

Last year, Paul faced criticism after a number of pages of Government Bullies were found to have been lifted from a pair of conservative think tanks without proper attribution. A number of other speeches and op-eds were also found to contain plagiarized material. 

At the time, he said his busy schedule likely led to the errors and instituted a new policy to prevent those mistakes. Republican strategists said last year, the plagiarism charges would ensure that opponents would comb though subsequent writings with increased scrutiny.

Paul said the charges were overblown by opponents, and he has since begun releasing footnotes to his speeches.