Sen. Rand Paul’s presidential campaign and its allies struck a defiant tone Wednesday, calling the Justice Department’s indictment of a longtime Paul confidant “suspiciously timed” for the eve of a presidential debate, while declining to address the substance of the charges.

“Senator Rand Paul is disappointed that the Obama justice department chose to release this just prior to the highly anticipated first Republican presidential debate,” said a campaign spokesman, who asked not to be identified. “It certainly appears suspiciously timed and possibly, politically motivated. Additionally, these actions are from 2012 and have nothing to do with our campaign.”


The confidant, Jesse Benton, was indicted Wednesday on charges that he bribed an Iowa state senator in 2011 to shift allegiances to Paul’s father, Ron, then a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. Benton has recently been helming a super PAC supporting the younger Paul’s 2016 presidential bid.

Benton’s lawyers went further than Paul’s campaign, calling the charges “character assassination for political gain.”

“Jesse Benton, a prominent conservative Republican, has cooperated with the government during its multi-year investigation. That this indictment is now suddenly announced on the eve of the first Republican Presidential debate strongly supports our belief that this is a politically motivated prosecution designed to serve a political agenda, not to achieve justice,” his attorney, Meena Sinfelt, said in a statement. “Mr. Benton is eager to get before an impartial judge and jury who will quickly recognize this for what he believes it is: Character assassination for political gain.”

A call to Benton’s cellphone revealed that his voicemail box was full. He did not respond to an email request for comment.

His lawyer’s assertions echo the sentiments of the elder Paul. In a statement, Ron Paul said he was “extremely disappointed in the government’s decision” and that “the timing of this indictment is highly suspicious, given the fact that the first primary debate is tomorrow.”

Benton faces charges of conspiracy, obstructing an investigation, submitting false campaign finance reports to the Federal Election Commission and making false statements to the FBI. Two other operatives, John Tate and Dimitrios Kesari, also face charges connected to the alleged payoff.

Though Rand Paul declined to directly weigh in on the charges, another Benton client, Kentucky state Rep. Mike Harmon, said Benton called him Wednesday afternoon and told him the senator has his back.

“He said Rand is standing with him and some of his other clients would be standing with him,” Harmon said.

Benton is managing Harmon’s campaign for state auditor, and Harmon said he’s going to decide Thursday whether to keep him on staff. “I’m going to think about it and pray about it,” he said. Harmon said Benton told him he intends to ask for an “expedient review” of the charges against him and potentially dispense with the matter within the next two months.

According to the Justice Department, the three operatives paid more than $70,000 — concealed as legitimate campaign expenditures — to then-state Sen. Kent Sorenson in order to shift his support from Rep. Michele Bachmann to the elder Paul. Sorenson made his switch public on Dec. 28, 2011, in Des Moines. The three operatives also coached Sorenson to lie when asked whether he was offered money for his support, according to the indictment.

“Violating campaign finance laws by concealing payments to an elected official undermines our electoral system and deceives the public,” said Special Agent in Charge David LeValley. “The FBI will aggressively investigate those who corrupt the integrity of our democratic process.”

The arrangement burst to the fore in August of last year when Sorenson pleaded guilty to charges that he caused a political campaign to falsely report expenditures to federal authorities, as well as to charges of obstruction of justice. He’s awaiting sentencing.

The indictment is the latest blow to the Paul universe in a week that’s already left the libertarian-tilted candidate on his heels. Paul has badly lagged his rivals in fundraising and taken the brunt of attacks from rivals who disagree with his calls for more restrained foreign policy. POLITICO reported last week that sinking morale and disarray have led some Paul advisers to consider bailing for other campaigns.

Though the indictments don’t touch directly on a member of Paul’s campaign staff, Benton is an undeniable force in the Paul universe. And Paul maintained close ties with him even after details about the Sorenson scandal began seeping out of closed-door investigations over the past two years.

The super PAC Benton runs, America’s Liberty PAC, is one of three pro-Rand Paul presidential super PACs. The other two are Concerned American Voters, run by Jeff Frazee and Matt Kibbe, and Purple PAC, run by Ed Crane. America’s Liberty PAC, however, is the one super PAC that’s been sanctioned by the Paul campaign, and on its website it describes itself as the “only Super PAC endorsed by Senator Paul.”

The fresh headlines of the scandal, which came one day before the first Republican debate, could impact not only Paul’s presidential ambitions, but also his reelection bid for his Senate seat. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee on Wednesday blasted out a story on the indictment with the subject line “Hey Rand, We’ll See You When You Drop Out Of The Presidential Race!”

Benton, 37, had been a rising star in GOP politics and is a Paul family member. (He is married to Ron Paul’s granddaughter, who is Rand Paul’s niece.) With his deep ties to the libertarian movement, Benton has long had clout among the conservative grass roots.

That’s why after a yearlong search, Sen. Mitch McConnell, facing a primary threat ahead of his 2014 reelection, hired Benton to be his campaign manager. McConnell needed someone who could mollify concerns from tea party activists and the conservative grass roots — and Benton was the person to do it.

“Jesse is literally the best in the business at building and organizing conservative grass-roots movements, and I’m thrilled he’s chosen to return to Kentucky to lead my campaign,” McConnell said in September 2012.

But as he ran the campaign, questions about the Sorenson affair continued to linger. A conservative activist — looking to dig into the Sorenson matter — taped a phone call in which Benton said he was working for McConnell and “sort of holding my nose for two years” to help Rand Paul’s presidential hopes. It provided days of embarrassment for McConnell and Benton.

As more news reports leaked out about Benton and Sorenson, McConnell’s Democratic challenger, Alison Lundergan Grimes, tried to tie Benton’s legal problems to the Republican leader. And in late August 2014, Benton suddenly stepped down, saying he didn’t want to be a distraction to the senator’s reelection effort.

Even after he left, Benton has been a big player in Rand Paul’s political world. He has been a key strategic adviser and joined the super PAC to help Paul from the outside. Insiders said one reason he was given a role at the super PAC, rather than the campaign, was because it was unclear how far the investigation would go.

Last year, Paul said in an interview with a Kentucky TV station that he did not think Benton did anything wrong and questioned the motivation behind the federal probe.

“You know, I think one of the considerations when you look at any of this is that we are with an administration where there has been a lot of politically motivated investigations,” Paul said. “And I think that has to be one consideration.”

Tate has close ties to both Pauls. The Virginia resident described himself to POLITICO earlier this year as “a friend of Rand’s for nearly a decade” with a “unique understanding of Rand’s goals and message.” Tate now works at Benton’s America’s Liberty PAC. Tate was Ron Paul’s 2012 campaign manager and his 2008 political director and also advised Rand Paul’s 2010 Senate bid.

Tate did not immediately respond to a request for comment and a question about whether he would step down from his role with the super PAC. He and Benton are set to appear before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa on Sept. 3, according to the Justice Department.

Katie Glueck contributed to this report.