Dmitri Kesari's Brother Testified for the Prosecution Friday

Ron Paul wasn't the only one required by the government to testify against family members in the trial of the Ron Paul Inc. operatives, so was Dimitri Kesari's brother.

In what I would imagine was a difficult situation, he promptly threw his brother under the bus. The Des Moine Register reports:

Jurors on Friday also heard testimony from Kesari's brother, Pavlo, who owned a video production company that prosecutors claim Kesari originally tried to filter the money through. Pavlo Kesari told jurors that his brother approached him about helping with the payments, claiming that they were for a graphic designer.

"He said he had a graphic designer that needed to be paid (off-the-books) because of internal politics," Pavlo Kesari said. "He didn't get along with people."

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DRUDGE: Rand Paul Go Back to Kentucky

This is big.

Matt Drudge has never published a link  to a negative Rand Paul story. Drudge has barely covered the indictment and trial of Ron Paul Inc. operatives. The only link has been to a story on how Ron Paul blasted the prosecution for bringing the charges against the operatives.

But this morning things changed.

Drudge has a link on his page with this headline: Concerned GOP push Rand to focus on Senate re-election...

Drudge is as connected to Republican insider circles as you can get. He knows full well what stories they want out there, and what they don't.

This is a major sign that major Republican players believe it is time for Rand to end his flailing presidential campaign.

Rand's failure to fold up the presidential campaign tent now will be seen by Republican players as stubbornness on Rand's part and will make him much more vulnerable to a rival Republican deciding to challenge Rand for the Kentucky US senate seat.

Rand has managed his presidential campaign poorly and if he doesn't pull out of the presidential race soon, he is setting himself up for a new disaster  at the Senate level.

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The Ron Paul Inc. Befuddlement Strategy

The government, a presidential campaign, a principled candidate, and a bumbling campaign payoff, with a top level bumbler, married to the grand-daughter of the principled candidate.

This could be an HBO miniseries.

It's still too early to tell how this drama will end. There are high stakes, including potential jail terms. David Weigel walks us through the first week of the trial, with bombshell emails, Ron Paul testimony required by the prosecution against the man married to his granddaughter and a government witness who "no longer looked like a man worth bribing," here.

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Jesse Benton: "You're bleeding for us—we'll take care of you."

Kent Sorenson, who switched support from Michelle Bachmann to Ron Paul during the 2012 Republican presidential campaign, testified yesterday for the prosecution against Ron Paul Inc. operatives Jesse Benton and Dimitri Kesari.

Sorenson during his testimony came off as a weak-type out of a 1940s/1950s film noir, with Benton and Kesari as the in the shadows tough guys, attempting to keep the weak Sorenson in line.

At one point Kesari took Sorenson's cellphone away from him, fearing he would not be able to deal with questions from the press about his defection, Sorenson said in testimony.

"I was a wreck," he said.

At another point, testimony revealed that Benton upon learning  from Kesari that Sorenson was having second thoughts about defecting fired off an email:

Fuck him, This is absurd.

And then followed it up with another email:

Either he honors his commitment or we have to expose him as the money-grubbing shakedown artist that he is.

Sorenson also testified as to the assurances he looked to from Benton as he arrived to announce his defection to the Ron Paul campaign:

"I remember specifically asking Jesse if they would take care of me," Sorenson testified, when asked whether he arrived at the Paul event with the expectation of being paid to change his endorsement. The response from Benton, according to Sorenson, was, "You're bleeding for us—we'll take care of you."

Russ Choma has a blow-by-blow here.

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HOT Ron Paul Explodes on Stand

During the second day of the trial of Ron Paul Inc. operatives, Jesse Benton and Dimitri Kesari, Ron Paul was called to the stand.

He was clearly a reluctant prosecution witness. No, make that a very reluctant and furious witness.

WaPo's David Weigel reports that "Prosecutors had to show him his own grand jury testimony, twice, to get Paul to confirm that Kesari -- whose e-mails revealed a six-month deal to pay Sorenson through a pass-through company -- had effectively been an assistant to Benton.

"I'm not positive of the title," said Paul. "There were a lot of people working for the campaign... everyone reported to [campaign manager] John Tate and Jesse."

Dr. Paul hit back at the prosecutors during cross-examination. Weigel again:

Former Texas congressman Ron Paul, who took the stand Wednesday in the trial of two aides to his 2012 presidential campaign, said in court he and his family had been "victimized" by the years-long probe.

As his former campaign chairman Jesse Benton and former deputy campaign manager Dimitri Kesari looked on, Paul lambasted the government and media for an investigation that has stretched over three years, and said he was offended to see his family dragged into a seemingly endless scandal.

"I feel victimized a whole lot," said an emotional Paul, under cross-examination by Kesari's attorney. "The real victimization here is happening to me and my family. It's been a heavy burden. I didn't even know it was legal to make someone testify against a family member!"...

Paul saved his ire for the prosecution itself. He recounted angrily how he'd "read in the paper" that he was about to testify against his family. He fully supported Benton, he said, and hated to see his daughter put on a witness stand.

"As far as I'm concerned, nothing has changed," said Paul. "I feel like my daughter has been victimized, when she's getting treatment for cancer and she has to come up here."
Paul also reiterated his initial reaction to the indictment, angrily recounting that it was discussed as a possibility for months but only was released the day before the first 2016 Republican presidential debate, "where my son Rand had been invited," forcing him to answer awkward questions.

"I consider that more than a coincidence," Paul said. "I consider it an injustice."

Grant Rodgers at the Des Moines Register reports:

Paul appeared unhappy to be testifying against the two, particularly because Benton is married to his granddaughter. During cross-examination from Benton's attorney, Paul said he still stands by grandson-in-law, who chaired his 2012 campaign.

"As far as I'm concerned, nothing has changed," he said about his feelings toward Benton...

Paul left the courthouse without speaking to reporters. But he told the jurors that he had no knowledge of his campaign making payments to Sorenson. He said he'd still support Benton, and that he doesn't currently feel "victimized" by his former staffers.

"Maybe that attitude will change, but right now I don't feel victimized," he said. "...I'm not testifying for the defense, I'm testifying to the prosecution. And that's been a heavy burden for my family."

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Why Megyn Kelly is on the Ron Paul Inc. Operatives Trial Witness List

Megyn Kelly is on the prosecutor's list as a  witness in the Ron Paul Inc. operatives trial in Des Moines, Iowa. Here's why.

During a Dec. 26, 2012, dinner in Altoona, Iowa, Dimitri Kesari, a deputy Ron Paul 2012 campaign manager, gave Sorenson's wife a $25,000 check from the account of his own wife's jewelry store. The campaign also prepared to make a $25,000 wire transfer to Sorenson but scratched it after Fox News journalist Megyn Kelly questioned Sorenson on-air about allegations that he was paid by the Rand Paul camp for his support one day after the switch. Sorenson replied that he was "absolutely not" offered money and that expenditure reports filed with the Federal Election Commission would prove him right. That public denial of payments forced the Paul campaign operatives to find another way to get Sorenson money off-the-books that would not appear in an FEC report, according to prosecutors.

 "They cared more about winning than they did following the law or even the values of their own candidate," DOJ prosecutor Richard Pilger said during his opening statement at the trial yesterday, where Kesari and Jesse Benton are on trial.

She really pushed Sorenson hard here, especially in the second half of the interview.

 


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Prosecutors in the Ron Paul Inc. Criminal Trial: "Follow the Money"

Opening argumnets were made Tuesday in the trial of Ron Paul Inc. operatives Jesse Benton and Dimitri Kesari.

Federal prosecutors told an Iowa jury today that former congressman Ron Paul will be called as a witness, reports David Weigel.

"Ron Paul wanted his campaign to be about ideas," said Richard Pilger, an attorney for the Justice Department. "He hated the idea of endorsements. He'll tell you that in his career, he only sought one endorsement -- from Nolan Ryan."

"Follow the money, ladies and gentlemen," said Pilger, "and you will be able to see the conspiracy in black and white."

Benton's defense is apparently going to be that he was confused the days he met with the FBI and allegedly lied to them, and the documents that implicate Benton were "hastily" put together,

Weigel reports:

Benton's attorney Meena Sinfelt asked the jury to focus on the days that Benton met with FBI investigators, July 21 and 22, 2014. It was difficult for anyone to recall the circumstances of tax day, or another busy financial period. Benton, far from misleading investigators, had been misrepresented by documents and hastily written e-mails.

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Opening Arguments Set to Begin in Ron Paul Inc. Operatives Trial

Jury selection finished Tuesday morning at Des Moines' federal courthouse in the trial for two former Ron Paul campaign operatives accused of illegally paying a former Iowa state senator for an endorsement ahead of the 2012 Iowa Republican caucus, reports the Des Moines Register.

One man, who was dismissed from the jury pool, told the judge, "I don't like politicians, politics or stuff like that." Later he told the judge, "You can't really trust politicians."

Another potential juror was seen by a Des Moines Register journalist having a conversation with Benton in the hallway outside the courtroom during a break shortly after 10:35 a.m. The juror declined to speak with a reporter as he left the courthouse after he was dismissed from the pool. Early in the selection process, the juror had told Chief District Judge John Jarvey that he farms in southeast Iowa and needed to return for the fall harvest.

Opening arguments in the case are expected to begin at 2 p.m. central time.

Megyn Kelly on Witness List at Ron Paul Inc. Operatives Trial

@daveweigel who is in Des Moines for the trial of Ron Paul Inc. operatives is reporting that FOX star  Megyn Kelly is on the prosecution's witness list along with Ron Paul. Ron Paul's daughter Lori Pyeatt. 

Also on the witness list is Ron Paul Inc. operative and Rand Paul chief strategist, Doug Stafford as well as Michelle Bachmann.

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UPDATE

Why Megyn Kelly is on the Ron Paul Inc. Operatives Trial Witness List

Ron Paul Inc. Operatives Trial Update

Court records show jury selection is expected to begin Tuesday morning in Des Moines in the case against Jesse Benton and Dimitri Kesari, reports the Chicago Tribune.

It Begins:The Trial of the Ron Paul Inc. Operatives

Jesse Benton, married to a granddaughter of Ron Paul, and Dimitri Kesari go on trial today in Des Moines, Iowa on criminal charges surrounding alleged under the table payments during the 2012 presidential race made to then-Iowa senator Kent Sorenson. The payments were alleged to have been made to induce him to switch his support to Ron Paul from Michelle Bachmann during that campaign.

Kesari is on trial for arranging the payments and Benton is on trial for lying to the FBI about the arrangement. Other charges against Benton and John Tate, another Ron Paul Inc. operative, were dropped on a technicality.

Ron Paul is expected to testify for the prosecution as is his daughter Lori Pyeatt, who was the treasurer of the campaign and is Benton's mother-in-law.

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Charges Against Jesse Benton Were Dropped on a Technicality

More details are emerging on why 4 of 5 charges were dropped against Ron Paul Inc. operative Jesse Benton in his upcoming trial.

It turns out that prosecutors presented information to the grand jury from a proffer given by Benton, which is a no, no. The same occurred with operative John Tate, all charges were dropped against him.

Prosecutors say they will go on with the trial on the remaining charges of perjury against Benton and the numerous charges against operative Dimitri Kesari.

Prosecutors also say they may refile the charges dropped against Benton and Tate, but they won't make that decision until the end of the current trial.

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Ron Paul To Testify Against Jesse Benton and Other Ron Paul Inc. Operatives

What a mess. Jesse is married to a grandaughter of Dr. Paul. Dr. Paul's daughter Lori Pyeatt is also expected to testify. She is Jesse's mother-in-law.

KCCI video here.

Trial Delay of Ron Paul Inc. Operatives....

is because of a scheduling issue.

The trial originally scheduled for October 4, will now begin October 13.

I'm told by a court official.

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BREAKING Trial Delayed for 3 Ron Paul Inc. Operatives Charged in Caucus Scandal

A judge has delayed trial for three former Ron Paul campaign aides charged with secretly paying off a former Iowa lawmaker in exchange for an endorsement before the 2012 presidential caucuses.

U.S. District Judge John Jarvey ruled Wednesday the trial of Jesse Benton, John Tate and Dimitri Kesari would be delayed until Oct. 13. Trial had been scheduled to begin Monday in Des Moines.

It is unclear what the reason is for the delay.

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Ranking the Ron Paul Inc. Operatives Defense Lawyers

A Washington D.C. observer, of the upcoming trial of Ron Paul Inc. operatives, ranks the lawyers the operatives are using this way:

Jesse Benton's lawyer, Rocscoe Howard, is with a very powerful law firm, smart, very connected and very expensive.

John Tate's lawyer: Okay

Dimtri Kesari's lawyer: Dimitri could have done better, says the observer.

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Rachel Maddow on the Upcoming Ron Paul Inc. Trial and What It Means for Rand

It is not setting up to be a good October for Rand Paul.

Rachel Maddow has the details.

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.

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RACHEL MADDOW VIDEO: FBI Raid on House of Ron Paul Inc. Operative

Rachel Maddow devoted a segment of her show last night to the Rhode Island break-in, first reported here at Target Liberty, where the police have identified  Ron Paul Inc. operative Dimitri Kesari as a suspect.

Maddow during the segment also shows video of the FBI raid on Kesari's house.

 

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Feds Say Ron Paul Inc Operatives Planned to Smear Kent Sorenson

Another piece of information has seeped out in the ongoing saga, Ron Paul Inc. Operatives Under Indictment.

Ross Choma at Mother Jones reports that the Feds, who have never been accused of being conservative when stating their fears as to what defendants will when on trial, have apparently told the court that they fear what the operatives might do with transcripts of Grand Jury testimomy.

Choma explains:

Since last week's indictments of three top political aides to Ron and Rand Paul, new details have emerged about the Ron Paul campaign's scheme in 2012 to buy the endorsement of Kent Sorenson, who was then an influential Republican state senator in Iowa. In the latest court filing, federal prosecutors assert that the Paul aides planned to smear Sorenson if he refused to accept a bribe. This case will likely continue to dog presidential candidate Rand Paul, who has at times employed all three men. Two of the indicted aides, Jesse Benton (who is married to Rand Paul's niece) and John Tate, were running the main super-PAC supporting Rand Paul's presidential campaign. Following the indictments, each of them took a leave of absence from the super-PAC...

Prosecutors are generally required to share their evidence with a defendant to allow him or her to prepare for a trial. But on Thursday, Justice Department lawyers asked the federal judge in charge of the case for permission to withhold from these defendants copies of certain sensitive documents, such as the grand jury transcript and witness statements. The defendants will be allowed to review the information, but the prosecutors don't want to hand over the material. They say they have reason to believe the defendants might leak sensitive documents to the media. During the pre-indictment inquiry, the prosecutors claim, investigators found emails showing that the three Paul aides were prepared to leak documents to harm Sorenson in 2012 if they couldn't obtain his endorsement for Ron Paul.

"Those communications show that the defendants, who are career political operatives, were willing to leak sensitive documents regarding Sorenson to the press to suit their own ends," Raymond Hulser, chief of the Department of Justice's public integrity division, stated. "That history gives the government concern as to what the defendants (as opposed to their counsel) might do with copies of interview reports and grand jury transcripts of Sorenson and the other witnesses in this case."...

Jesse Benton's lawyer says the smear attempt was just a knee jerk reaction.Here's Choma again:

The lawyer for Jesse Benton has responded to the government's accusation that his client planned to leak documents to smear Sorenson if he did not agree to endorse Ron Paul. In a filing made to the federal court, Benton's attorney, Roscoe Howard, said prosecutors are referring to an email Benton sent in late 2011, around the time Sorenson switched from endorsing the Bachmann campaign to endorsing the Paul campaign. In the email, Howard noted, Benton "threatened to expose Mr. Sorenson, believing that Mr. Sorenson was trying to blackmail the 2012 RP Campaign, if Mr. Sorenson did not make up his mind on whether to commit to the Ron Paul Campaign."

Howard wrote that it was a "a knee-jerk, emotional reaction" and pointed out that Benton never followed through.

  -RW