LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul's office said it has “always attempted to comply” with finance regulations after Paul's former presidential campaign was fined by federal officials this week.

       Paul's 2016 presidential campaign committee was fined $21,000 by the Federal Election Commission for improperly handling contributions.

       A statement from a Paul spokesperson sent Friday to The Associated Press said it is "not uncommon for large national campaigns to have a missed deadline that is then rectified.”

       “In this case we filed honestly and returned all excess contributions all the way back in 2016,” the statement said.

       The FEC said Paul's committee didn’t refund or redesignate contributions of $165,749 within 60 days of former President Donald Trump winning the 2016 Republican nomination.