Rand Paul inspects Fort Knox gold reserves

Senator Rand Paul conducted a visual inspection of the gold reserves at the U.S. Bullion Depository in Fort Knox to verify the existence of the nation's gold stockpile. While not a formal audit, this visit represents the first outside verification of the gold stores in several decades, following the last major inspection in 1974.

Paul reported that the gold is present, noting approximately 147 million ounces in the vaults. The Treasury Department had previously stated that the facility held 4,580 metric tons of gold. This inspection follows long-standing skepticism from fiscal conservatives regarding the transparency of federal gold holdings and the lack of independent audits over the last 50 years.