Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 06:57 pm
Jesse Benton the former Ron Paul strategist/Mitch McConnell campaign manager/man running the pro-Trump Make America Great Super PAC has found guilty of four violations of campaign finance laws.
Dave Weigel of The Washington Post reported:
Jesse Benton, a political strategist for former congressman Ron Paul who went on to run the pro-Trump Great America PAC, has been found guilty on four charges relating to the 2012 Paul presidential campaign.
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Benton, alongside two other former aides to the Paul campaign, was found guilty of conspiracy, causing false records, creating false campaign expenditure reports and making false statements. The trio of Benton, John Tate and Dimitri Kesari concocted a plan to pay then-Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson in exchange for him endorsing the campaign and helping it organize in early states.
Benton was caught on tape trashing Mitch McConnell while he was working as the now Senate Majority Leader’s campaign manager, and admitting that the only reason he was working for McConnell was that he promised to help Rand Paul’s White House run in 2016, if Rand helped to make Mitch Majority Leader. Benton resigned from the McConnell campaign after the bribery scandal which led to today’s conviction blew up in the media.
Benton was facing criminal charges, yet he was running a Trump supporting super PAC. Not since the dark days of Richard Nixon has America seen a presidential candidate who is supported and surrounded by such shady figures. Trump campaign co-chair Jerry Delemus was arrested by the FBI on nine charges related to his participation in the Bundy standoff.
If a candidate’s character can be judged by the company that he keeps, Donald Trump is sending out red flags up the wazoo that he should never be allowed anywhere near the White House.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
