IOW, Grifting from everyone, including each other.

Ex-Rand Paul aide pardoned by Trump is charged with funneling Russian
money into 2016 election

"A former campaign staffer and the grandson-in-law of US Senator Rand
Paul who received a presidential pardon from former President Donald
Trump has been charged with directing Russian money into the 2016
presidential election, according to the US Department of Justice.

The announcement came on Monday via an unseal indictment from 9 September.

Business Insider reports that Jesse Benton, Mr Paul's former aide,
"conspired to illegally funnel thousands of dollars of foreign money
from a Russian foreign national" into the 2016 campaign.

He also managed Senator Mitch McConnell's 2014 campaign.

Mr Benton received a $100,000 wire transfer from an unnamed Russian
national in October of 2016, according to the indictment. He was
allegedly promised that he would get to "meet a celebrity" at a
Philadelphia fundraiser a month earlier.

Though prosecutors did not name the candidate involved in the memo,
Insider confirmed that Mr Trump was hosting a fundraiser in Philadelphia
the night of the fundraiser mentioned by the Russian national.

That individual was present at the fundraiser, according to prosecutors.
His travel to the US was allegedly made possible by a co-conspirator in
the case, conservative author Roy Douglas Wead. According to
prosecutors, all three had taken officials with "Political Candidate 1,"
who is believed to be Mr Trump.

Both men are accused of passing off the donations as payments for
"consulting work." Mr Benton reportedly kept $75,000 of the donation,
while the rest was given to the candidate.

Mr Benton was previously convicted of campaign finance fraud relating to
Mr Paul's 2012 presidential campaign. He was sentenced just says before
the Philadelphia fundraiser and was sentenced to two years of probation
and a $10,000 fine.

After his conviction, Mr Trump pardoned Mr Benton."
[snip]

TB

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)