Mother Jones: The Scandal That Could Blow Up Rand Paul's Machine

I reported in early March that a major magazine would be out with a story on Ron Paul Inc. The initial story is out.  I expect more.

At Mother Jones, senior reporter Andy Kroll is out with a report on Ron Paul Inc. and the ongoing investigation. surrounding activity of  Ron Paul operatives during the 2012 Ron Paul campaign, including the under the table payments to Kent Sorenson.

Noteworthy in the Kroll report is his focus on how it may do damage to Rand Paul's current campaign. Thanks to the Kroll article, we now know that some in the Ron Paul camp in 2012 were thinking ahead to the current Rand Paul presidential run rather than focusing on what was good for Ron.

Kroll writes (my bold)

As it turned out, Paul's inner circle had been secretly negotiating for months to lure Sorenson away from the Bachmann campaign. In an October memo to Paul campaign manager John Tate, a Sorenson ally outlined the state senator's demands, which included an $8,000-a-month payment for nearly a year, another $5,000-a-month check for a colleague of Sorenson's, and a $100,000 donation to Sorenson's political action committee. The memo explained that these payments would not only secure Sorenson's support in the near term but also help to "build a major state-based movement that will involve far more people into a future Rand Paul presidential run." Kesari's $25,000 check, in other words, amounted to more than a down payment on an endorsement for Ron Paul; it was an investment in Rand Paul 2016.

It is also  instructive that Kroll spends considerable ink focusing on the National Right to Work Committee and how it may cause problems for Rand. Rumors continue to swirl that NRTWC may have, on many occasions, conducted activities that violate federal election campaign laws. It is doubtful such violations are contrary to libertarian principle. However, the US government doesn't seem to care much about libertarian principle and thus a federal dagger remains over the head of those who may have been involved in such violations.

Kroll writes:

Many of the central players in Paul World hail from the National Right to Work Committee, the leading anti-union group where these operatives spent their formative political years. Doug Stafford, who is Rand Paul's Karl Rove, is a former NRTWC vice president. John Tate, Ron Paul's former campaign manager, worked with Stafford at the NRTWC; he is now the president of Campaign for Liberty, the political group founded by the elder Paul. Kesari—described by someone who knows him as "like Radar from M*A*S*H"—previously led the NRTWC's government affairs department. Mike Rothfeld headed the committee's direct-mail operation in the late '80s and early '90s; he now runs the fundraising firm of choice for Rand Paul's PAC, as well as the NRTWC and Campaign for Liberty.

Thanks in large part to this crew, Rand Paul has broken into the political mainstream, a feat never achieved by his father. But some of the operatives who have formed the backbone of his machine have at times thought little of stretching the rules to win elections and acquire power. And their past tactics may come back to haunt Paul during what could be the most important campaign of his political career.

In the article, Kroll goes into much more detail concerning the activities at NRTWC and where NRTWC may have crossed the line.

But his conclusion suggests that he may know more about what is coming down the road then he is comfortable putting into print at present:

[O]n February 19, a Justice Department lawyer requested a delay in sentencing Sorenson because the feds were "making progress" on a "larger investigation" into the scandal. This prompted conservative radio host Steve Deace to tweet: "Asteroid coming. Impact could produce potentially large blast radius." The DOJ did not say who else was in its crosshairs, but emails and internal documents show that Benton and Kesari both played roles in the deal. Sorenson, for his part, isn't holding anything back. "He's cooperating and answering their questions about all the information that he knows," says F. Montgomery Brown, Sorenson's attorney.

In the meantime, Paul World has lawyered up. Ron Paul's 2012 campaign has shelled out $364,000 in legal fees since August. Reached on his cellphone, Kesari said he wouldn't comment and hung up; Benton and his lawyer did not respond to repeated interview requests. At least publicly, Rand Paul has said little to suggest he's worried about the legal headaches that may ensnare Paul World fixtures. In December—before the Justice Department's latest announcement but after emails showed Jesse Benton's involvement in the Sorenson deal, prompting Benton's resignation as Sen. Mitch McConnell's 2014 campaign manager—Paul defended Benton to the Hill newspaper as an "honest" political operative who would be "welcome" on his 2016 team. "He'll help us," Paul said.

But as Rand Paul launches his presidential campaign, questions linger about how long his cadre of advisers and operatives will last under the merciless glare of the national stage. "They are in such a bubble in this Rand Paul universe, and I think the bubble's going to pop real quick in the heat of the primaries," says the conservative strategist familiar with the Pauls and their allies. "They are not ready for prime time."

Read the full very informative piece here.

-RW