Surprise! Moral Fiber Lacking in Republican Party

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) campaign manager Jesse Benton resigned Friday amid growing speculation over his involvement in a vote-buying scandal when he led former Rep. Ron Paul’s (R-Texas) 2012 presidential campaign.

“Recently, there have been inaccurate press accounts and unsubstantiated media rumors about me and my role in past campaigns that are politically motivated, unfair and, most importantly, untrue,” said Benton in a statement. “I hope those who know me recognize that I strive to be a man of integrity.”

[...]

Democrats and Republicans both said his speedy resignation likely minimized much of the damage his continued presence on the McConnell campaign might've caused. But the fallout for Sen. Rand Paul's (R-Ky.) potential presidential bid — which Benton was expected to helm, provided McConnell won reelection this fall — remains unclear.

  The Hill

Oh for Pete’s sake. People won’t even remember by the end of this month, much less by the 2016 campaigns.

But wait…Paul’s opponents will, won’t they? And they’ll remind us. Over and over and over.

One of the key players in that scheme, Paul presidential campaign aide Dimitri Kesari, appears to have been paid nearly $62,000 from the McConnell campaign in 2013.

Kesari was the Paul campaign liaison that Sorenson alleged, during a private phone conversation that was leaked to the press, delivered him a check as part of the bribe. Sorenson also suggested during the conversation that Benton knew about the bribe.

The more stories like this come out, the more I am reminded of something my Irish neighbor in Seattle said to me 20 years ago: Americans are shocked every time their politicians are in the news over scandalous and corrupt behavior. In Ireland, we KNOW all politicians are corrupt, and we work with that in mind.

“I think it clearly calls in to public debate the moral fiber of the Republican Party and its’ inability to really abide by the law,” [Kentucky House Speaker Greg Stumbo] said.

So Stumbo is a Democrat, I suppose. And really, is he not just begging for someone to start listing the long line of Democrat Party scandals?

[Scott Jennings, a former McConnell aide who currently runs a pro-McConnell super-PAC] said he had a "tremendous amount of respect" for Benton for resigning, a move Jennings called "an honorable and certainly gutsy thing to do."

Even though the issue is the bribes he took. Respect amongst hucksters and swine. Awesome.

Moral fiber indeed.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.