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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTwo Republicans indicted
Last edited Fri Oct 22, 2021, 01:12 AM - Edit history (2)
Link to tweet
Link to tweet
BIG DEVELOPMENT
Two Republicans indicted, federal crimes, Russian bribes in 2016 Presidential cycle
Jesse Benton, Kentucky
Douglas Wead, Florida
AND a FOREIGNER (could be Deripaska)
This MAY be among crimes that Greenberg singing to Feds
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/political-operatives-indicted-alleged-scheme-involving-illegal-campaign-contribution-2016
The bribe, $100,000 came from the Russian, went to a 2016 cycle Presidential candidate. This is not automatically Trump
It could be - Kentucky - Rand Paul (or even Mitch McConnell)
Or it could be Marco Rubio - Florida. Or some OTHER 2016 GOP candidate
AZSkiffyGeek
(11,068 posts)Is he the same Republican who tried to carpetbag his way into Congress in Arizona about 25 years ago?
ProudMNDemocrat
(16,789 posts)As a Ruby Direct. I even had several of his Network 21 tapes as we were building our organization of AMWAY Independent Distributors. That was 30 years ago.
My how Doug has fallen and I stopped being associated with AMWAY by the mid 90's.
Qutzupalotl
(14,327 posts)Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 20, 2021
Political Operatives Indicted for Alleged Scheme Involving Illegal Campaign Contribution to 2016 Presidential Campaign
An indictment was unsealed today in the District of Columbia charging a Kentucky man and a Florida man both with conspiracy to solicit and cause an illegal campaign contribution by a foreign national, effect a conduit contribution and cause false records to be filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and related substantive offenses.
According to court documents, Jesse R. Benton, 43, of Louisville, Kentucky, who previously worked as a campaign manager for two campaigns for U.S. Senate and one campaign for president, and Roy Douglas Doug Wead, 75, of Bonita Springs, Florida, who previously served as an advisor to multiple presidential campaigns, conspired together to solicit a political contribution from a Russian foreign national (Foreign National 1). As described in the indictment, Wead conveyed to Foreign National 1 that he could meet Political Candidate 1, a candidate for president during the 2016 election cycle, in exchange for a payment. Shortly after Foreign National 1 committed to transfer the funds, Benton reached out to individuals at Political Committee B, the national party committee for Political Candidate 1s political party. He then arranged for Foreign National 1 to attend a political fundraising event and get a photograph with Political Candidate 1, in exchange for a political contribution to Political Committee C, a joint fundraising committee comprised of the campaign committee for Political Candidate 1, Political Committee B, and related state committees. Foreign National 1 ultimately wired $100,000 to Company A, a political consulting firm owned by Benton. To disguise the true purpose of the transfer of funds, Wead and Benton created a fake invoice for consulting services and invented a cover story.
Wead and Foreign National 1 attended the political fundraising event for Political Candidate 1 on Sept. 22, 2016. Foreign National 2, who worked as a Russian/English translator for Wead, also attended. All three individuals had photographs taken at the event with Political Candidate 1. Following the event, Benton repeatedly represented to a consultant working for Political Committee B and Political Committee C that he had already sent the promised contribution for the event, but in actuality he delayed sending the contribution. Benton ultimately filled out a contributor form, indicated that he was the contributor, and used a personal credit card to make a $25,000 contribution. Benton retained the remaining $75,000 of Foreign National 1s money. Because Benton falsely claimed to have given the contribution himself, three different political committees unwittingly filed reports with the FEC that inaccurately reported Benton, rather than Foreign National 1, as the source of the funds.
Benton and Wead are both charged with one count of conspiracy to solicit and cause an illegal campaign contribution by a foreign national, effect a conduit contribution, and cause false records to be filed with the FEC, one count of contribution by a foreign national, one count of contribution in the name of another and three counts of making false entries in an official record. The defendants made their initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. If convicted, Benton and Wead face a range of maximum penalties from five to 20 years in prison, per count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBIs San Diego Field Office is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Rebecca G. Ross and Michelle K. Parikh of the Justice Departments Public Integrity Section and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle L. Wasserman of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Justice matters.
(6,941 posts)Qutzupalotl
(14,327 posts)and likely suspect.
If true, I guess they got what they needed in the raid and acted swiftly.
Justice matters.
(6,941 posts)malaise
(269,157 posts)K & R
Wounded Bear
(58,706 posts)Response to Qutzupalotl (Original post)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
Mr.Bill
(24,319 posts)what is guiding these investigations, and if publiched without redactions it could tip people off.
KS Toronado
(17,317 posts)I need an early Christmas!
Qutzupalotl
(14,327 posts)Fundraiser at the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh, PA.
http://www.p2016.org/trump/trumpcal0916.html
jpak
(41,759 posts)Who knew?
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)I've read she is a big fan of Deripaska, but I'm no expert on this.
spanone
(135,874 posts)SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)When I saw post about FBI raids.
🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞
onecaliberal
(32,894 posts)SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)onecaliberal
(32,894 posts)paleotn
(17,958 posts)SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞
Response to SheltieLover (Reply #11)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞
Farmer-Rick
(10,207 posts)Didn't the Roberts Court decide foreign money in our elections was A OK, especially when the GOP takes money from Russians?
Who could have guessed it was illegal?
James48
(4,440 posts)That it is Trump. Nobody else got anywhere near the money Trump got from Russians.
bucolic_frolic
(43,286 posts)And they've been faithful ever since
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,036 posts)stillcool
(32,626 posts)including sweet dreams.
ancianita
(36,133 posts)These have been reported as taking money from Leonard Blavatnik:
Mitch McConnell $2.5 M
Marco Rubio $1.5 M
Scott Walker $1.1 M
Lindsey Graham $800,000
John Kasich $250,000
Donald Trump ???
If it ends up being Rubio, I can now see why Val Demings hasn't yet developed a big campaign presence against him here in Florida; she might have been in on this kind of information.
cadoman
(792 posts)Benton is married to one of Ron Paul's granddaughters.
https://www.salon.com/2021/09/21/ex-rand-paul-aide-pardoned-by-now-charged-with-funneling-russian-cash-to-trumps-campaign/
Wead advised both Ron and Rand's campaigns, and was a Bush lackey before that:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Wead
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)So they're betraying the country and compromising its free and fair elections just for shits and giggles.
leftieNanner
(15,149 posts)I missed her show and will pick it up at the repeat.
Oh maaaaan but I want some serious heads to roll on this one.
Qutzupalotl
(14,327 posts)Bet she will tomorrow.
Joinfortmill
(14,456 posts)demtenjeep
(31,997 posts)got that would be fantastic
lindysalsagal
(20,730 posts)And broadcast this story on all media outlets. The gqp are traitors.
Liberty Belle
(9,535 posts)Also while this is likely Rand Paul, Trump or another corrupt Republican, I don't see the word Republican in the indictment, so slim chance it could be someone in the Democratic primary, though i doubt it.
lindysalsagal
(20,730 posts)"Wead and Foreign National 1 attended the political fundraising event for Political Candidate 1 on Sept. 22, 2016".
OK: Who's got the interweb skills to nail down all the fundraisers in florida and kentucky on sept 22nd? This is from the justice dept, so, it's real.
And if the GQP are the ones trying to stop the bannon testiimony, then you know it's one of theirs.
Wednesdays
(17,408 posts)says that tRump had a fundraiser on September 22. But that it was in Pennsylvania.
Liberty Belle
(9,535 posts)lindysalsagal
(20,730 posts)Although the indictment, made public Tuesday, does not name the foreign national, Forensic News reported that evidence suggests the description of Foreign National 1 the Russian who allegedly funded the straw donations matches Roman Vasilenko. The indictments description of Foreign National 2 shares similarities to Olga Kovalova, a Ukrainian-born translator who has appeared at events with both Wead and Vasilenko.
As evidence, Forensic News pointed to Vasilenkos ties to Wead and unearthed a picture of Vasilenko posing with Trump at the 2016 fundraiser mentioned in the indictment. A 2016 video also appears to show Vasilenko and Wead at a 2016 fundraiser with Trump.
Tickets to the Philadelphia fundraiser mentioned in the indictment cost at least $25,000, payable as a contribution to the Trump campaigns joint fundraising committee. As a foreign national, Vasilenko would have been barred by federal law from making contributions to political groups or campaigns to influence U.S. elections. Straw donations, where the source of funding is obscured, are also illegal.
Weads longstanding relationship with Vasilenko and Kovalova is evident from their digital footprints.
A.K.A: The Beginning Of The End.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)burrowowl
(17,645 posts)brewens
(13,620 posts)He was fishing some lake on northern Washington state and came back with stories about the Russians that had moved in up there. All kinds of weird stuff going on and guys out on the lake at night doing who knows what.
Back then, like myself, he probably would have agreed that any Russian above the rank of dishwasher should have an FBI agent up their butt 24/7! Those guys never trusted the Russians for shit until the republicans were in cahoots with them.
Native
(5,943 posts)[link:https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/politico-pardoned-trump-accused-illegal-campaign-scam-80136369|
ABC covered this story in September. This link has more info.
Grins
(7,228 posts)Im sure thats just a coincidence.
s/
Rabrrrrrr
(58,352 posts)because they know whatever fraud there was all points back to them.
Better to just lie and lie and lie about it but keep saying "We have piles of evidence!!!!" and then blame the judges of bias when they throw cases out...
fucking weasel stains.
caraher
(6,279 posts)Do we have any reason to expect this to go above Wead and Benton? Sure, it's possible (even likely) that investigation will reveal further dirty dealing, but I don't see any "big fish" getting into trouble. What am I missing?
The tweet makes no sense to me - the fundraiser in question was in September 2016, so well after the primaries. It's obviously a donation to Trump's campaign and not Rubio or Paul.