Appeals Court Upholds Conviction of GOP Operative for Illegal Russian Donation to Trump Campaign

A federal appeals court has upheld the conviction of veteran Republican campaign operative Jesse Benton for funneling an illegal $25,000 Russian contribution into Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Benton, who had previously worked on the campaigns of Ron and Rand Paul and briefly managed Mitch McConnell's campaign, was convicted of six felonies related to the contribution and falsified campaign finance records.

The scheme involved Benton arranging for a Russian national named Roman Vasilenko to attend a Trump-RNC fundraiser in Philadelphia, where Vasilenko took a photo with the then-candidate. Benton funneled $100,000 in campaign donations from Vasilenko to his consulting firm, keeping $75,000 for himself and giving the other $25,000 to the Trump campaign under his own name.

Prosecutors argued that Benton concealed the source of the funds from both the Trump campaign and Trump himself. Despite letters of support from Rand and Ron Paul, Benton was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2023.

Benton appealed the conviction, arguing that Trump's 2020 pardon should have prevented the jury from hearing about his previous election crimes. However, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit rejected this argument, ruling that the pardon did not specify Benton's innocence and that evidence of his previous pardoned conviction could be introduced at trial.

The appeals court decision marks the end of Benton's legal battle over the illegal Russian money. "The evidence showed that Benton knowingly and willfully caused the submission of false campaign finance reports to the FEC," the court stated in its ruling. Benton remains sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for his role in the scheme to funnel foreign money into a US presidential campaign.

Key Takeaways

• Federal appeals court upheld conviction of GOP operative Jesse Benton for illegal $25K Russian contribution to Trump 2016 campaign.
• Benton funneled $100K from Russian national to his consulting firm, keeping $75K and giving $25K to Trump campaign.
• Benton argued Trump's pardon should have prevented jury from hearing about his previous election crimes, but court rejected this.
• Court ruled Benton "knowingly and willfully caused the submission of false campaign finance reports to the FEC".
• Benton remains sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for his role in the foreign money scheme.