by Isabel Matos
I hate working in a vacuum when preparing a video or a lengthy article sometimes because it can take hours away from interacting with people; but I actually enjoyed putting this clip (and article) together because my mission and obsession is to expose GOP corruption and deception. I think you will like it.
In this story we have an entrenched five-term Establishment politician with the second-most powerful position in the Senate (Minority Leader, Republican Mitch McConnell) grasping to retain his power one more term to maybe be Majority Leader (an ironic scenario given it would be made possible by Tea Party support of the same Conservatives he is trying to defeat). We have a Junior Senator (Rand Paul) compromising his own Tea Party principles as he vies for that position or a higher one down the road that will secure a place for him to lead in some leading capacity (as he will never be president). Because the Junior Senator comes from the same state as the elder status-quo he has to play the game and run everything he does past the Establishment we are ALL trying to take on. And last (for the sake of this article, there are more) we have a family member, confidant and campaign manager -Jesse Benton- who they have in common. Benton is not the only bad guy in this political drama which also happens to be a family affair. Benton is married to Rand Paul’s niece (or Ron Paul’s granddaughter). Their corruption, however, is putting our country at risk and possibly why Sarah didn’t get near this race directly. The entrenchment is as thick as the bonds that tie their family.
Jesse Benton was a top campaign aide during Rand Paul’s 2010 Senate bid and became campaign manager after a staff shake up. He served as communications director in 2008 and then campaign manager in 2012 for each one of Ron Paul’s Presidential bids. Mitch McConnell hired him to be his reelection 2014 campaign manager as part of his commitment to running a presidential campaign in Kentucky, which he announced in a prepared statement on September 13, 2012:
[a campaign] starts with a presidential manager. Jesse is literally the best in the business at building and organizing conservative grassroots movements and I’m thrilled he’s chosen to return to Kentucky to lead my campaign.
The merger was a no-brainer: McConnell would use Paul to help him garner the Tea Party vote (albeit dishonestly and deceivingly). In turn, Paul would have a very powerful “ally” and access to huge amounts of money for being a loyal “ally”.
Benton’s move from the Paul camp to McConnell’s left some conservative activists scratching their heads because of the two senators’ divergent political philosophies. But since Paul arrived in the Senate, the gentlemen from Kentucky have nurtured a symbiotic partnership that gives Paul establishment credibility while shoring up McConnell’s bona fides among the Tea Party base f.
On February 18th a complaint was filed with the Iowa Senate Ethics Committee regarding a payoff for an endorsement for Ron Paul in the Iowa caucuses. In the complaint Pete Waldron, former campaign staffer for Michele Bachmann alleged that the Paul campaign, “its operatives, and third parties conspired to pay a bribe” to Sorenson “to betray” Bachmann and publicly endorse Ron Paul. The names of those involved are listed here; among them Jesse Benton and Dimitri Kasari.
On December 28th, 2011.. Iowa State Senator and Campaign Chairman for Michele Bachmann for President, Kent Sorenson resigned from Bachmann’s campaign during the 2012 Iowa Caucuses and endorsed 12-term congressman Ron Paul instead.
While this event did not significantly affect the outcome of the election, Sorenson’s endorsement of Congressman Paul is drawing heavy scrutiny after e-mail conversations and memos released exposed a financial proposal of over $200,000 for Sorenson’s defection from the Bachman campaign.
The results of the January 3rd Iowa caucuses were too close to call – the closest in its history. It appeared that Mitt Romney had won at first, but after the results were released on January 19th, it was Rick Santorum who had beat him by a small margin, missing out on all the attention and PR Romney got for it. Ron Paul came in third place. Michele Bachmann came in sixth and dropped out of the race.
The credible allegations in the complaint resulted in Kent Sorenson resigning from office as Senator in October of 2013. Sorenson admitted receiving payments from, among others, Ron Paul’s deputy campaign adviser, Dimitri Kesari. The federal probe continues it seems. FBI raids reveal connections to the case. Computers have been removed from Sorenson’s house and a grand jury investigation is ongoing.
The FEC assigned a MUR (“Matter Under Review”) number, which indicates a formal inquiry will begin. It has not fazed Benton who is not answering questions about the bribe, or Paul who has tapped him to be his 2016 campaign manager.
Rand Paul’s political adviser, Doug Stafford was managing a consultant involved in bribery payments to Sorenson. His name: Dimitri Kesari. Stafford is Executive Director of Redirecting America (in a) New Direction (RandPac) and is busy ramping-up a political infrastructure “for the 2016 presidential hopeful.”
Jesse Benton joining Stafford makes sense given his comments in a secretly recorded conversation provided to OpenSecrets Blog and other outlets saying that he had accepted the job as McConnell’s campaign manager for the purpose of bolstering Rand Paul’s prospects in 2016.
Jesse Benton has a record of unethical conduct. His ties with so-called conservative organizations like “Americans for Tax Reform” (founded by Grover Norquist, known GOP infiltrator) and the ACU (also known to be infiltrated by GOP enemies Norquist and Suhail Khan) should also be noted. In a simple search:
Who is Jesse Benton? Jesse Benton is a political consultant and libertarian activist know for working with conservative and libertarian organizations like Americans for Tax Reform, the Liberty Coalition, and the American Conservative Union. Benton is strongly associated with the Paul family, serving as a high-ranking staffer for both Ron Paul and Rand Paul.
Those two associations alone would explain many of the stances Paul has taken on issues clearly not supported by the Tea Party, base of the GOP and movement he supposedly represents and is the leader of. He is using them for his political gain and in the process is guilty of confusing and depriving voters of the truth about who he really is.. A fake friend of Conservatives which makes him… a RHino.
Kent Sorenson and Ron Paul (Updated)
SORENSON confirms payment to endorse Paul Aug 2013 (Updated)
References
1) Mitch McConnell Beating the Tea Party: We are Going to Crush Them Everywhere:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/10/mitch-mcconnell-beating-tea-party-we-are-going-cru/
2) Rand Paul Reacts to Mitch McConnell’s Plan to ‘Crush’ the Tea Party:
http://www.glennbeck.com/2014/03/11/rand-paul-reacts-to-mitch-mcconnells-plan-to-crush-the-tea-party/
3) Mitch McConnell’s Campaign Manager: “I’m Holding My Nose”:
http://swampland.time.com/2013/08/08/mitch-mcconnells-campaign-manager-im-holding-my-nose/
4) FEC Will Examine Allegations Against Ron Paul Campaign
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2014/03/fec-will-examine-allegations-against-ron-paul-campaign.html
5) Bribery Scandal Compromises Rand Paul 2016
http://chrisinmaryville.net/benton-bribery-scandal-compromises-rand-paul-2016.html
6) New Investigation Into Ron Paul and Sorenson Payoff
http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2014/04/new-investigation-into-ron-paul-inc-and.html
7) Leading Republicans Move to Stamp Out Challenges from Right
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/us/politics/leading-republicans-move-to-stamp-out-challenges-from-right.html?_r=2
8) Mitch McConnell Hires Ron Paul’s Campaign Manager
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/09/mitch-mcconnell-hires-ron-pauls-campaign-manager/
9) Ron Paul Campaign Accused of Trying to Buy Iowa Endorsements (The Emails)
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2013/08/ron-paul-campaign-accused-of-trying.html
10) Head of Paul’s 50-State Operation is Accused of Earlier Questionable Work
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2014/03/head-of-pauls-50-state-operation-is-accused-of-earlier-questionable-work.html
![sarah-marvelous-eyes-trig[2]](https://thespeechatimeforchoosing.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/sarah-marvelous-eyes-trig2.jpg)
A Time For Choosing 
Great post…good info!
Thanks for coming by again, Sue Lynn. It’s getting a great response, but again, “we all” have to be on the same page. If your friends in the SPEQ are interested in this type of information, please feel free to share it there.
I’m asking everyone I know to post it in places where good Conservatives are not yet convinced he’s not one of us. We need more than just headlines prove Rand Paul is corrupt and owned by our GOP enemies. This needs to be exposed so we can connect the dots in other primaries and prove beyond a reasonable doubt the he’s helping the GOP cause trouble in a few races.
Good God! What an incredibly deceitful bunch of politicos! Yes, the McConnell/Rand Paul connection is troubling in the extreme – and just shows what liars they all are! I’ve never been much of a fan of Sen. Paul – and now I’m definitely NOT! Yes, a RINO/RHINO in Tea Party clothing! As for the Chinless Wonder himself, it would be such a great thing if he loses his Senate bid to Bevin; but at least Bevin’s campaign will allow a lot of disgruntled and disgusted TP members to express their frustration and vent their disgust of McConnell.
Thanks for tracking all this down, Isabel – it took a lot of “stick-to-it-ive-ness,” that’s for damn sure!
Chinless wonder lOl!! It’s Mother’s Day but if you get a chance, please check out McConnell’s ties to the recent Congressional primary in Florida. The candidate there bought off his victory by sending McConnell money. I’m darn furious the right candidate lost and Rand Paul also had something to do with it. You can find a linked to it in the first article I mentioned “Did Mitch McConnell infiltrate Tea Party Express via Russo and RandPac?” https://thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/2014/04/21/did-mitch-mcconnell-infiltrate-tea-party-express-via-russo-and-randpac-rand-paul-supporters-hes-a-rino/
Again Izzy I love your passion and hard work in connecting the dots! This right out of Sarah Palin’s speechs relating to Croniyism in both parties, as here it applies to the RINO GOPestablishment. I have always thought the Pauls speak in fork tongues…. I wish Mark Levin and some of the other pundit would see your reports and keep a sharp eye on this little Kabyki theatre……It would be nice if Sarah brother Chuck Jr. could see your report and then get it to Sarah, if she doesnt know this information already….
Izzy keep up the good work, you are a great investgative reporter th always follows the truth, please dont let up!
Too kind. Thanks. I will agree with tenacity. It’s always been something I have and it comes in handy in politics. That plus telling a story. With all the sleazy and slimy moves these little gangsters make, it gets slippery sometimes. Please know that Jen Kuznicki who Mark Levin tweets articles from every now and then, re-tweeted this one and we had fun with it. It does have to get around, hopefully before May 20th the primary but it’s a story that will continue and before it comes loose at the seams I want to tie things together with facts that can’t be refuted.
You made my day and it’s only 2:54 p.m. I’m motivated to get the next article on the primary in Nebraska (will be mostly a cheerful good news one) and then more scandals to come later.
Excellent work Isabel! As you know I, GWSPFAN, am no fan of Rand Paul. Thank you so much for working so hard to expose the corruption between the MConnell and Paul camps. I think it is high time for the Tea Party groups to disavow and break relations with Rand Paul. His promotion of the “Big Tent”, support for amnesty and his latest attack on Voter ID laws is the antithesis to Conservatism and the Tea Party ideology. The man is nothing but a charlatan consumed with a desire for power and he has stopped at nothing in his quest to achieve it. While Ted, Sarah and Mike are all out there working hard for conservative candidates, Rand is out there on a tour of self promotion and endorsing the epitomes of RINO establishment such as Collins and McConnell.
I do believe we are making progress, as of late there have been far fewer Paulbots on Breitbart and other sites defending him. Others who at one time expressed support for Rand have now had their eyes opened and have disavowed him in the comments sections. In my opinion, we only have two choices in 2016 and they are Ted Cruz and Sarah Palin. I pray one of them will step up to the plate before it is truly too late for our nation.
Thank you so much for sharing that. There are plenty of headlines that have indicated for a while he’s not one of us, but rather USING us to promote himself. I see those headlines (and the news in general) like cats that need to be herded.
Sometimes we need stories to put things together in a coherent way so that there is no next “sound byte” or headline of the day without a solid foundation to go by. If I can just ask you a favor that I have asked everyone else..
Please share this information. Conservatives tend to be territorial or just not aware of what one post on their wall with a comment such as the one you made or briefer can do. We just need to get better at getting the message out.
Thank you again. Your feedback and comments motivated me again today. It’s a fire that always needs stoking.
By the way, I enjoyed hearing the presidential psychosis reference. LOL
Someone noticed (just kidding)! I thought it was the best moment. Thank you so much. 🙂
Reminder: Please share this information. The video has the accompanying link (the article above). We need to expose Rand Paul for who he is but not in a mean way. Just with facts. TY.
Don’t think Ted Cruz is the savior. His wife recently dropped out of CFR. they both have deep ties to the Bushes. His wife is a banker. He’s a globalist/NWO guy.
“Secondly, I believe we should expand legal immigration, reduce the barriers, reduce the waiting periods and I’ve introduced two amendments to significantly expand legal immigration, to double the caps on legal immigration from 675,000 to 1.3 million and to increase temporary high skilled workers by 500%.” – U. S. Senator Ted Cruz
“The best way to control the opposition is to lead it ourselves.” – Vladimir Lenin
I didn’t see anything mentioned by Greg Pickens by Ted Cruz that warranted your inappropriate remarks!
Deep ties with the Bush family? Funny how they, Karl Rove and Rick Perry’s people all supported Dewhurst and NOT Cruz. Strike one. His wife worked at a bank and that makes them NWO Globalists? Hogwash. Strike two.
As for Cruz wanting to streamline the process for LEGAL immigration, that is a good thing. There are thousands of people waiting to become legal citizens who have high skills that are needed in this country. They are willing to follow or laws and procedures to become US citizens and have a deep admiration for our country and it’s opportunities. They want to fit into the American culture, speak the language and contribute to our society. At the present time, these people have to wait years until they have a chance to become Americans. They see becoming a citizen as an opportunity to live and contribute to the American dream and not just take advantage of it’s social programs. Our process should be a thorough and speedy one when dealing with these type of immigrants. As far as I am concerned , I would much rather have them as Americans than the likes of you.
This will be my only response to your nonsense. Please do not bother responding, as I have no desire for a lengthy discussion nor time for educating someone who is so lacking in facts. I also have no desire to further pollute Isabel’s great blog with your anarchist drivel. Just the way I roll.
Greg, thanks. Great points!
I don’t argue with people who cannot reason or who refuse to see facts. Feel free to comment and/or reply to anything said that needs clearing up, just like you did. Corruption is something that needs to be exposed. I bet that was a disgruntled Rand Paul troll who can’t stand the idea of Ted Cruz being Senate Majority Leader. He is threatened by him. It could be, I’m not sure. Why else would someone take personally what is obvious corruption on the part of Rand Paul. His followers and supporters are either not getting the facts or ignoring them even though you say they’re down in number on Breitbart. Conservatives who have supported him are my concern. They seem to be leaving the RINO behind but still too many left considering all he’s done to prove he’s an insider and corrupt. Those dopey comments (no pun intended) on voter ID laws offending blacks hurt him. He’s a bit sensitive where that issue is concerned. Here’s an interview you might find compelling which supports my comment: youtu.be/vtdp7Nz1S7I Maybe he is maybe he isn’t embarrassed about that, but he sure is defensive!
Isabel,
Yes, I too saw his interviews on Fox the past couple of days and he was very defensive about his comments concerning Voter ID. His claims that his comments were taken out of context were ludicrous. I do not think he feels any embarrassment concerning these issues. I think he feels he has made his deals with McC and the establishment and feels more confident now to reveal his true opinions instead of masquerading as a Tea Party person. He and his father are as corrupt as the day is long as has been further revealed by your work on this article. I linked to WND last night and they seem to be very pro Paul. Left a link to your article in the comments of a pro Paul piece they had. Though their article was pro Paul most of the comments were not. I think we are making progress in exposing Rand’s true nature. Here is a link to it
http://www.wnd.com/2014/05/rand-pauls-voter-id-flap-bogus/#comment-1383941846
By the way, do you have a Facebook page?
That’s funny (strange). WND has been very pro-Bachmann, too. I used some information from their site to promote Trevor Loudon’s book which I am reading and it was very useful. I posted some comments outside of that on Twitter about amnesty and how so few representatives were actually standing up to John Boehner in the House when the Amnesty was being pushed. I shared the article I wrote about Michele with the writer who wrote the piece on the Enemies Within (Trevor’s book) – and never heard from him again. I guess he was offended. Oh well.
Thanks for the heads up on that. I don’t want to alienate Paul people but they have to understand he IS an insider.
https://www.facebook.com/IsabelM.Matos
Thanks for that link. I had not heard that one before. His father had some problems with that sort of topic during his last election too.