FOUNDATION FOR A SECURE AND PROSPEROUS AMERICA 04/08/15 Re: Foundation for a Secure and Prosperous America Advertisements Dear Station Manager: 1 write in response to the letter you received from Matthew T. Sanderson, General Counsel for Rand Paul for President. The letter demands that your network or station censor critics of the Obama administration’s negotiations with the Iranian regime by taking down a Foundation for a Secure and Prosperous America (“FSPA”) advertisement that asks viewers to tell Senator Paul to stop siding with President Obama on the Iranian nuclear negotiations. ‘Notwithstanding the politically-motivated letter, the statements made in the advertisement are entirely accurate. Indeed, they rely on Senator Paul’s own words. We specifically address each of the three alleged inaccuracies below. First, the advertisement states that “[t]he Senate is considering tough new sanctions on Tran, President Obama says he'll veto them. And Rand Paul is standing with him.” The Paul ‘campaign’s assertion that this statement is “false” is not credible. This year, Senator Paul specifically stated that new sanctions during negotiations with the Iranian regime would be “a hhuge mistake.” The Paul campaign claims that Senator Paul previously supported sanctions, but the letter fails to address the Senator's stated opposition to new sanctions during negotiations. ‘Second, the advertisements statement that “Rand Paul supports Obama’s negotiations with Iran” is also accurate. These are Senator Paul's own words. Last month, he told The Today ‘Show: “I’m kind of one of the Senators who's in favor of negotiations with Iran.”* The Paul campaign's assertion that this statement is “wrong” contradicts the Senator's own stated position. ' Senator Rand Paul, Senate Committee On Foreign Relations, Jan. 21, 15 (“As we move forward, I've been one who says new sanctions in the middle of negotiations is a huge mistake and may well break up the sanctions coalition, may well drive Iran away from the table.”); see also Philip Klein, “Rand Stands With Obama And Kerry On Iran,” The [Washington] Examiner, 12/4/14 (“I think it would be a mistake to push them away from the table”). * NBC's “Today Show,” March 11, 2015, available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y A VimGekhbw. ARLINGTON, VIRGINIAFOUNDATION FOR A ‘SECURE AND PROSPEROUS AMERICA While the campaign now claims that Senator Paul disagrees with some of the administration's “tacties,” Senator Paul has made clear that he continues to support the negotiations themselves. Finally, the letter characterizes as “incorrect” the advertisement’s statement that Rand Paul does not understand the threat to American national security posed by the Iranian regime. ‘Again, however, the Paul campaign appears to take issue with the Senator’s own words quoted in the advertisement: “it’s ridiculous to think that [the Iranian regime is] a threat to our national security.” Indeed, Senator Paul was the only U.S. Senator to vote against a Senate Resolution that “strong supports the United States policy to prevent the government of the Islamic Republican of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability ... and rejects any United States policy that would rely on efforts to contain.”* ‘Senator Paul is free to run his own advertisements trying to explain why he said new sanctions against Iran would be a “huge mistake,” why he told the Today Show he is “in favor of negotiations with Iran,” and why he stated it is “ridiculous to think [the Iranian regime is] a threat to [American] national security.” But it is not appropriate for his campaign to attempt to silence those who oppose his dangerous positions by making baseless threats against your station. Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or need any further information. Best regards, . Rick Reed President * Alana Goodman, “Rand Paul: Nuclear Iran Not A Threat To U.S., Israel,” The Washington Free Beacon, 4/18/14. *$.J.Res. 41, 112th Congress, 2nd Sess., Vote no. 197, 90-1-9, Sept. 22, 2012 (Senator Paul Voted Nay). ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA