Toronto Mayor Rob Ford listsens to speakers at a council meeting about casino proposals at Toronto City Hall on Tuesday, May 21, 2013. Ford ignored a crush of reporters waiting outside his city hall office this morning in the hopes he would address allegations that he was recorded on video appearing to smoke crack cocaine. (AP PhotoTHE CANADIAN PRESS, Nathan Denette)
U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee speaks to the 42nd annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council in San Diego, California July 23, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Blake – RTX1LKV5
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul speaks during the Republican presidential primary debate on August 6, 2015 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
The FBI has charged three members of former Texas Rep. Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign with conspiracy, including Jesse Benton, who now runs the pro-Rand Paul super-PAC America’s Liberty. According to the indictment, Benton, Paul’s former Campaign Manager John Tate, and former Deputy Campaign Manager Dimitrios Kesari arranged payments of more than $70,000 to former Iowa Sen. Kent Sorenson to switch his endorsement from former Rep. Michele Bachmann, who was also running for president at the time. The three have been charged with conspiracy, submitting false campaign expenditure reports and submitting false records to obstruct an investigation. Benton has also been charged with making false statements to the FBI.