Federal Appeals Court Unlikely to Reverse Conviction in Russian Campaign Finance Case
A federal appeals court appeared unlikely to reverse a Republican political operative’s conviction for funneling political contributions from a Russian billionaire to former President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
On Monday, a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard Jesse Benton’s challenge in a case that delved into complex campaign finance laws. Benton, who served as a one-time aide and grandson-in-law to former Texas GOP congressman Ron Paul, was convicted on six counts of campaign finance violations and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Benton’s appeal centered around jury instructions and the definition of a political contribution. He argued that the instructions given to the jury regarding a since-pardoned campaign finance conviction were flawed, and questioned the government’s decision to charge him under both the Federal Election Campaign Act and a financial recordkeeping law.
Judge Florence Pan indicated that Benton had missed his chance to challenge the jury instructions during the trial, while Judge Karen Henderson questioned why Benton hadn’t previously lodged an objection. However, both Pan and Henderson raised concerns about the jury considering Benton’s earlier campaign finance conviction, which was subsequently pardoned by Trump. Pan also expressed doubt about Benton’s argument regarding the government’s use of multiple statutes to charge him.
The distance in time between when the two statutes were passed was noted as a potential issue for Benton’s argument by Judge Bradley Garcia.
Benton was indicted in 2021 for soliciting a sizable contribution from Russian businessman Roman Vasilenko. According to prosecutors, Vasilenko wired Benton $100,000, part of which was used to arrange for Vasilenko to attend a fundraising event for Trump. The funds were not disclosed as coming from Vasilenko. Campaign finance laws prohibit foreign nationals from making contributions to political committees or related to federal presidential elections.
During the appeals court hearing, Benton’s lawyers focused on Vasilenko’s intent when providing the funds. They argued that Vasilenko had no interest in US politics and did not provide the funds to sway the campaign. Benton’s legal team also took issue with the lower court’s decision to allow his prior conviction to be raised at trial.
The government countered that Benton had presented a “novel argument” on the standard for a political contribution and maintained that they had provided ample evidence of Vasilenko’s intent to influence the presidential election.
The federal appeals court is expected to issue its ruling on Benton’s appeal in the coming weeks.
Analyst comment
Negative news: The federal appeals court appears unlikely to reverse Benton’s conviction for funneling political contributions from a Russian billionaire to Trump’s campaign. The court raised concerns about Benton’s argument and his prior conviction, which was pardoned by Trump. The ruling is expected in the coming weeks.
