Rand Paul Tries to Prevent More Plagiarism

Sen. Rand Paul’s office says it’s adopting new safeguards against plagiarism after facing charges that several of his speeches and writings were lifted from other sources.

“From here forward, quoting, footnoting and citing will be more complete,” Doug Stafford, a senior adviser to Paul, said in a statement to ABC News. “Adherence to a new approval process implemented by Sen. Paul will ensure proper citation and accountability in all collaborative works going forward.”

The allegations of plagiarism have dogged the Kentucky Republican senator, who is a top presidential contender for 2016.

In his statement, Stafford conceded that some facts and anecdotes included in his speeches and op-eds “were not clearly sourced or vetted properly” and that footnoting and citing will be more meticulous.

The announcement comes as Paul’s office faced a new round of criticism. An op-ed by Paul that appeared in The Washington Times contained language copied from The Week magazine, “>The New York Times reported on Monday.

In an interview with Fusion last week, Paul said the plagiarism allegations were blown out of proportion by his “haters.”

“People are making a mountain out of a molehill,” he said.

Jordan Fabian is Fusion’s politics editor, writing about campaigns, Congress, immigration, and more. When he’s not working, you can find him at the ice rink or at home with his wife, Melissa.