Second trial begins for Ron Paul aides in Iowa payments scandal

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Second trial begins for Ron Paul aides in Iowa payments scandal

May 2nd, 2016

Awake Goy

But defense attorneys for the three operatives argued to jurors that no laws were broken, though none denied that Paul’s 2012 campaign paid $73,000 to then-Sen. Kent Sorenson. Two lawyers said their clients didn’t know the details of payments to the lawmaker, while one portrayed the money as regular business in politics — even if distasteful to voters.

Jury selection and opening arguments in the trial were the newest developments in a public corruption case that’s wound on since Sorenson publicly endorsed the Libertarian-leaning Texas congressman at a rally on Dec. 28, 2011, days ahead of the Iowa Republican caucus. Sorenson had previously served as the Iowa chairman for former U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, who accused the lawmaker of accepting money from the Paul camp immediately after his defection.

Bachmann’s public allegations of wrongdoing forced the three Paul operatives, campaign chairman Jesse Benton, campaign manager John Tate and deputy campaign manager Dimitri Kesari, to come up with a scheme that would keep payments to Sorenson out of public campaign expenditure reports, U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor Richard Pilger told jurors in his opening. Ultimately, the money was filtered to Sorenson through a third-party video and audio production company that then received and paid invoices from the lawmaker’s own consulting firm, Grassroots Strategies.

“Their desire to win was about them and their success and their reputations,” he said. “They cared more about winning and their political success than anything else.” Pilger said emails will show all three men knew about the cover-up, which was essential to protecting their own reputations. They hoped Sorenson’s influence would help ensure a caucus victory, and “went behind Paul’s back” to arrange the deal, he said.