“The federal charges announced against Jesse Benton mark a jarring, high-profile flameout for the long-serving Rand Paul adviser and top-flight Republican operative who was hailed until recently as a rising star in the party — a grim political trajectory that many in Paul’s orbit now tell BuzzFeed News their candidate seems doomed to follow.”
“In interviews Wednesday with more than half a dozen people close to Paul — including current staffers, top fundraisers, and key allies — Benton’s indictment was cited as evidence of deeply rooted problems in Rand Paul’s campaign, from organizational dysfunction, to personal failures of judgment by the candidate himself.”
One of the senator’s aides called the situation “a total mess” and added, “I don’t think there’s any coming back from this.”
