New photos appearing in a New York newspaper show Sen. Rand Paul at a fundraiser Saturday with actor Alec Baldwin, after the 2016 GOP presidential hopeful bowed out of an Iowa event for religious conservatives, citing a family commitment.
While a slew of other potential GOP presidential candidates showed up for the Family Leadership Summit, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Mr. Paul declined the speaking engagement, saying he had to be elsewhere.
The New York Post reported Monday that the Kentucky Republican was at a library fundraiser hosted by Mr. Baldwin. The paper reported that Mr. Paul was “schmoozing for free and getting tips on where to go in Montauk for lobster.”
The Des Moines Register reported that the photos left people in Iowa wondering if Mr. Paul had lied about the family engagement to avoid the summit. The senator’s aides assured reporters that Mr. Paul did indeed have a family commitment in New York and stopped by the library party as an extra event.
According to Bloomberg News, the Paul family spent the weekend in the Hamptons with Kate Hartson of Hachette Book Group. Ms. Hartson publishes Mr. Paul and his father, Ron, and is set to release a book by Mr. Paul’s wife.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.