Prosecutors Want Ron Paul and His Daughter to Testify in Ron Paul Inc. Trial

Prosecutors told the judge in the trial of Ron Paul Inc. operatives, Jesse Benton, John Tate and Dimitri Kesari, that they planned to call Ron Paul and his daughter Lori Pyeatt (Rand Paul's sister and Benton's mother-in-law) to testify, according to Mother Jones.

Pyeatt was the treasurer of the Ron Paul 2012 presidential campaign.

Also of note, according to MoJo, in a filing by Benton's attorney, witnesses that will be "essential" to Benton's case include Doug Stafford, Rand Paul's chief strategist, and Mike Rothfeld, a fundraising consultant for both Ron and Rand Paul.

MoJo concludes:

Rand Paul has said the indictment of three operatives with close ties to his political operation, including his nephew-in-law Jesse Benton, has nothing to do with him. But as their federal trial looms, the case—centered on a pay-for-endorsement scheme that occurred during the 2012 Iowa caucuses—is entangling those closest to Rand Paul...

The judge has yet to rule on whether to move the trial, but wherever it takes place, the Sorenson pay-for-endorsement scandal is much closer to Rand Paul's campaign—and family—than the presidential candidate cares to admit.

The trial is scheduled to begin in early October.

 -RW