US Politics

GOP Strategist Convicted for Scheme Involving Illegal Foreign Contribution to Trump Campaign

GOP Strategist Convicted for Scheme Involving Illegal Foreign Contribution to Trump Campaign
File photo showing then-Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) signing a copy of the U.S. Constitution for a supporter as Paul’s then-campaign manager Jesse Benton (C) looks on, at an event in Las Vegas, Nev., on May 17, 2011. Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
|Updated:
0:00

Longtime GOP political strategist Jesse Benton has been convicted on campaign finance charges for his role in helping a Russian citizen illegally funnel a political donation to former President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and have his photo taken with Trump.

Benton, a former top aide to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), acted as a “straw donor” when he took $100,000 of a Russian foreign national’s money, used $25,000 to buy a ticket to a fundraising event for Trump, and pocketed the remaining $75,000, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement.

Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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