His son Rand, newly elected as a senator from Kentucky, has also been stridently critical.

ECONOMIST: The politics of the Fed

Paul may have paved the way for his son, Rand Paul, to make a presidential bid sometime in the future.

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Rand Paul is the son of retiring Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, who was the 1988 libertarian candidate for president, and who made bids in 2008 and 2012 for the GOP presidential nomination under the mantle of libertarian conservatism.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Josh Rand, Mann's 17-year-old son, accompanied her to the CNN interview and also consented to be questioned on camera.

CNN: By Terry Frieden and Pierre Thomas/