Archive for the ‘Rand Paul’ Category

Donald Trump mocks Rand Paul, calls on him to quit …

Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul looks at Donald Trump's past comments on Democrats in his latest ad, which he posted on YouTube. (Rand Paul)

UPDATE: At 6:50 p.m., Donald Trump sent The Washington Post a lengthy response to Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul's ad. Here it is, in full.

Rand Paul is doing so poorly in the polls he has to revert to old footage of me discussing positions I no longer hold. As a world-class businessman, who built one of the great companies with some of the most iconic real estate assets in the world, it was my obligation to my family, my company, my employees and myself to maintain a strong relationship with all politicians whether Republican or Democrat. I did that and I did that well.

Unless you are a piece of unyielding granite, over the years positions evolve as they have in my case. Ronald Reagan, as an example, was a Democrat with a liberal bent who became a conservative Republican.

Recently, Rand Paul called me and asked me to play golf. I easily beat him on the golf course and will even more easily beat him now, in the world in the politics.

Senator Paul does not mention that after trouncing him in golf I made a significant donation to the eye center with which he is affiliated.

I feel sorry for the great people of Kentucky who are being used as a back up to Senator Pauls hopeless attempt to become President of the United States--- weak on the military, Israel, the Vets and many other issues. Senator Paul has no chance of wining the nomination and the people of Kentucky should not allow him the privilege of remaining their Senator. Rand should save his lobbyists and special interest money and just go quietly home.

Rands campaign is a total mess, and as a matter of fact, I didnt know he had anybody left in his campaign to make commercials who are not currently under indictment!

At 7:32 p.m., Paul campaign strategist Doug Stafford sent this response.

Wow, that took a while to read.

See the rest here:
Donald Trump mocks Rand Paul, calls on him to quit ...

Rand Paul 2016: Senator faces emerging doubts at home …

Sen. Rand Pauls presidential campaign limped into August under the weight of poor fundraising and sapped staff morale.

Then the indictments last week of two longtime Paul advisers sent shock waves through the Kentucky Republicans orbit.

Story Continued Below

And, last Thursday, Paul was widely seen as falling short in the first GOP presidential debate before a huge television audience.

Now the bad news: Pauls woeful month could get even worse.

Paul has been furiously lobbying Kentucky Republican leaders ahead of an Aug. 22 decision to rewrite party rules so he can run for president and reelection to his Senate seat simultaneously, a hedge to hold onto power should his Oval Office aspirations falter. Running for the two offices at once creates tricky legal hurdles that are surmountable only with the assent of the Kentucky Republican Partys leadership and central committee.

Though that approval once seemed assured, several members of the party executive committee told POLITICO theyre seeing increasing trepidation, in part because of Pauls perceived fade from contention but also because he hasnt yet fulfilled promises to cover the cost of any changes.

I think its fair to say that among members of this committee that theyre always aware of the financial impact of anything new on the organization that they serve, said state GOP chairman Steve Robertson. I think its pretty fair to say that members of the committee think this thing could be anywhere from $400,000 to $600,000. Thats obviously something that weighs appropriately on the minds of the folks on the committee.

Others were blunter.

There should be no direct cost to the party, said Scott Lasley, a state executive committee member who chaired the party committee that drafted the plan Paul favors. If the money is not there then I think all bets are off.

Original post:
Rand Paul 2016: Senator faces emerging doubts at home ...

Rand Paul super PAC head indicted over alleged 2012 …

This story was originally posted at 12:45 p.m.

Jesse Benton, a longtime ally of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) who is heading up a super PAC supporting his presidential campaign, has been indicted by a federal grand jury, the Justice Department said Wednesday, on charges that he concealed payments made to a former Iowa state senator during the 2012 presidential campaign in order to win his support.

The indictment marks a new complication for Paul, whose political future is on the line in 2016. He is hoping to hold onto his U.S. Senate seat, which is up for reelection, if he does not win the GOP White House nomination.

The charges against Benton, a member of the Paul family by marriage, stem from an endorsement-for-pay scheme during the 2012 campaign of former Republican congressman Ron Paul of Texas, which Benton chaired.Two other former Ron Paul campaign officials were indicted, including John Tate, who was Ron Paul's campaign manager and is now also involved with heading up the pro-Rand Paul super PAC; andDimitri Kesari, who was Ron Pauls deputy national campaign manager.

The indictment charges the defendants withconspiracy, causing false records to obstruct a contemplated investigation and causing the submission of false campaign expenditure reports. It alleges they paid more than$70,000 to then-Iowa state senator Kent Sorenson in exchange for his support. The indictment accuses the men ofconcealing their payments from the Federal Election Commission and the FBI.

Federal campaign finance laws are intended to ensure the integrity and transparency of the federal election process, said Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell in a statement announcing the indictment. When political operatives make under-the-table payments to buy an elected officials political support, it undermines public confidence in our entire political system.

Both Ron Paul and a spokesman for Rand Paul issued statements accusing the Justice Department of a politically-motivated attack.

"I am extremely disappointed in the government's decision," Ron Paul said in a statement. "I think the timing of this indictment is highly suspicious given the fact that the first primary debate is tomorrow. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those involved."

Rand Paul's campaign, through an unnamed spokesman, offered similar criticism of the timing."Senator Rand Paul is disappointed that the Obama justice department chose to release this just prior to the highly anticipated first Republican presidential debate," the campaign said. "It certainly appears suspiciously timed and possibly, politically motivated. Additionally, these actions are from 2012 and have nothing to do with our campaign."

Benton's attorneyRoscoe C. Howard, Jr.said in a similar statement that his client would be vindicated. "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," he said.

Visit link:
Rand Paul super PAC head indicted over alleged 2012 ...

Three Top Rand Paul Associates Were Just Indicted | Mother …

After years of investigation by the Department of Justice, three top Rand Paul associates, including the senator's nephew-in-law, were indicted for their role in an alleged attempt to buy an influential Iowa state senator's endorsement of Ron Paul during his 2012 presidential campaign. None of these operatives, who served as top Ron Paul campaign aides, is currently on the payroll of Rand Paul's presidential campaign. But two of themJesse Benton, who is married to Paul's niece, and John Taterun a pro-Rand Paul super-PACs that has raised $3.1 million to support Paul's presidential campaign.* The third man indicted, Dimitri Kesari, has served as an aide to both Rand Paul and his father.

Last year, former Republican Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson pleaded guilty to campaign finance charges accusing him of helping to cover up a scheme for the Ron Paul campaign to pay him more than $70,000 to switch his endorsement immediately before the 2012 Iowa caucus, from Michele Bachmann to Ron Paul. Sorenson has been awaiting sentencing pending his cooperation in a further investigation, but it hasn't been clear who on Ron Paul's staff would be caught up in the scandal. At the time Benton served as the campaign's chairman, Tate as the campaign manager, and Kesari as the deputy campaign manager.

All three men were charged with criminal conspiracy and federal charges related to falsification of government records. Tate and Benton face charges of making false statements to federal investigators; Kesari was indicted on one count of obstruction of justice for allegedly trying to persuade Sorenson to deny the scheme when pressed by prosecutors.

According to the indictment, Sorenson negotiated with the Paul aides and eventually met with Kesari in an Iowa restaurant, where the Paul aide passed him a $25,000 check. The check was never cashed, however, and eventually wound up in the hands of an Iowa special prosecutor investigating a possible breach in ethics rules by Sorenson. Under federal law, the campaign could have legally paid Sorenson openly, but Iowa Senate rules prohibit lawmakers from receiving compensation for their endorsements. According to prosecutors, the campaign instead routed the payments through a Maryland audio-visual company connected to Kesari's brother. During the course of the Iowa investigation, Sorenson acknowledged receiving $73,000 from the Maryland company but couldn't explain why that was. Paul campaign records show the campaign paid the Maryland company roughly $82,000. Though Sorenson pleaded guilty to taking the money and lying to investigators about where it came from, his indictment did not name who authorized the payments.

The federal investigation has been spun by Paul insiders as the result of complaints by a disgruntled former Ron Paul supporter, Virginia conservative operative Dennis Fusaro. Fusaro certainly stoked the investigation by leaking emails to reporters showing Benton, Tate, and Kesari corresponding with Sorenson associates, as well as an audio recording of Sorenson admitting his role. Last summer, a leaked grand jury subpoena showed that that Justice Department investigators were casting a wide net in their pursuit of the case, demanding email records from much of the 2012 staff and even Ron Paul himself.

The indictment makes clear that investigators found incriminating correspondence. Included in the indictment are details of email conversations between the Paul aides about authorization of the payments to the audio-visual equipment company. Other emails show them responding to others on the campaign staff about the payments. In one email exchange described in the indictment, from June 2012, an invoice from the AV company led Tate to ask Kesari, "What is this? What is it for, who is it? Why do we keep paying them? The last payment was supposedly the last."

Kesari responded: "This is the last payment for kent Sorenson [sic]. The deal jesse agreed to with kent."

Tate approved the payment.

After media reports about the brewing scandal broke in September 2013, the indictment alleges, Kesari flew to Nebraska and then drove to Iowa to meet with Sorenson. Kesari allegedly asked Sorenson to prove he wasn't wearing a recording device and then demanded he return the $25,000 check he had earlier given to him. Kesari also allegedly tried to convince Sorenson not to discuss the campaign's role in the payments with federal investigators.

While Kesari, Benton, and Tate are not working for Rand Paul's campaign, their indictment creates a major controversy for the candidate on the eve of the first GOP debate. In a statement to BuzzFeed's Rosie Gray, Ron Paul questioned the timing of the indictment against his former staffer: "I think the timing of this indictment is highly suspicious given the fact that the first primary debate is tomorrow." Rand Paul's campaign raised a little more than $7 million in the second quarter of the year, and the three super-PACs supporting his presidential bid have raised some $6 million. The largest, America's Liberty PAC, is run by Tate and Benton, who also leads Campaign for Liberty, a politically active nonprofit founded by Ron Paul. With $3.1 million in cash on hand, the super-PAC is a major part of Paul's campaign apparatus and has already released videos attacking his opponents.

The rest is here:
Three Top Rand Paul Associates Were Just Indicted | Mother ...

As debate looms, Rand Paul sees a chance to be the GOP …

DAVENPORT, Iowa The first Republican debate of the 2016 presidential campaign, said Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, will be between him and people who want to blow up the world. The showdown Thursday night will pit him against opponents who will send half a million of your sons and daughters back to Iraq. He vowed that he will ask his Republican presidential rivals, face to face, whether they want to always intervene in every civil war around the world.

I want to be known as the candidate whos not eager for war, who thinks wars the last resort, Paul said on a weekend swing through Iowa. When we fight, we fight to win, but much of our involvement has led to consequences that made us less safe. Youll see that come into sharp distinction.

Pauls approach almost ensures that there will be a vigorous debate Thursday night over foreign policy, an issue that many Republicans see as a major distinction between them and Democrats. It also marks a shift back toward Pauls roots and, he hopes, a winning coalition of voters after months in which he seemed to slide toward a more traditional Republican foreign policy as the Islamic State and other global dangers grew more worrisome.

The libertarian wing of the Republican base has been waiting and waiting and waiting for Paul to do that. Any of the declared candidates can talk tax cuts. A few, such as former Texas governor Rick Perry, can match Paul on criminal-justice reform. They all want to defund Planned Parenthood. But no one else is positioned to attack a generation of intervention in the Middle East. Libertarians want the Rand Paul who mocked former vice president Richard B. Cheney and neoconservatives to show up at the debates.

Hes the only candidate of the 15 who has a position like this, said Michael Hager, 23, after seeing Paul speak in a suburb of Chicago over the weekend. I figure, hell, why not swing for the fences on this? Why not separate himself from the pack?

Pauls potential base is larger and talkier than anyone elses, built on the legacy of his fathers 2008 and 2012 presidential runs. When Rand Paul has moved away from that Ron Paul legacy, he has walked into a wall of flames.

He co-signed a letter sent by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and other senators to the Iranian mullahs, and he offered an amendment that would have upped defense spending with offsets in cuts to foreign aid. Paul insisted that he did it to forge peace. His reward: columns, blog posts, and podcasts that branded him a sellout.

He sides with Bibi and other death merchants, wrote longtime Paul ally Lew Rockwell, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The really naive people are the ones who thought that by doing things like this, Rand would win over the people who despise him, said Tom Woods, the co-author of Ron Pauls best-selling books.

Rand Pauls Iowa message to the critics: Hey, lay off and wait for Thursday. Im one of the few Republicans who has a litany of people whose job is to be full-time critics of mine, Paul said. Nobody else seems to have as much sniping going on. But I think the debates will put things in sharp relief.

Visit link:
As debate looms, Rand Paul sees a chance to be the GOP ...