A Republican political strategist has been convicted of illegally helping a Russian businessman make a contribution to Donald Trump’s presidential crusade in 2016. Jesse Benton, 44, was pardoned through Trump in 2020 for some other crusade financial offense, months before he was charged with six similar counts of facilitating an illegal overseas cross-donation. He found out he was at fault on all six counts on Thursday.
This is not a controversy about Donald Trump, his crusade, and his many Russian connections. Yes, it is a controversy, but it is not this controversy. In fact, as far as I know, it’s not even transparent if Trump’s crusade is conscious. of efforts to funnel the illegal Russian budget into its coffers.
Instead, what makes this story so remarkable are the political figures.
As a separate Washington Post report last year noted, Benton’s career path is a sight to behold. 14 years ago, when the Republican agent worked on the then-representative. Two years later, Benton took the next logical step and led Rand’s Senate Crusade to Paul in Kentucky.
Two years later, Benton returned to the other Paul, leading the Texas congressman’s presidential crusade in 2012 before agreeing to return to Kentucky to lead Sen. Mitch McConnell’s re-election crusade, while leading young Paul’s 2016 presidential crusade.
In 2013, however, a challenge arose: Benton got into a scandal involving an attempt to get a backing. He was later indicted as part of the fiasco, but that didn’t stop a pro-Trump super PAC from hiring Benton anyway in March 2016. .
Two months after securing the new concert, Benton was convicted, but continued to do political work in 2016, and participated in efforts to help a Russian citizen who loves Trump.
In September 2016, Benton was convicted of the previous bribery scheme, but he avoided a criminal sentence and was sentenced to two years of probation. He was later pardoned through Trump, who had an annoying habit of pardoning Republicans accused of corruption.
But Benton was indicted again, not for the financial breach of the 2013 crusade, but for the financial violation of the 2016 crusade: He was accused of helping funnel money to a Russian citizen’s Trump team. The officer was convicted yesterday.
In other words, Benton was pardoned through Trump for a felony, only to be arrested a short time later for a similar offense.
Benton is awaiting sentencing lately. If he waits for the presidential pardon, I have a downturn that he will be disappointed.
Steve Benen is a producer on “The Rachel Maddow Show,” editor of MaddowBlog and a political contributor to MSNBC. It is also the bestseller of “The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governor and Seized American Politics”.
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