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Jesse Benton on Mitch McConnell: "I'm sorta holding my nose for 2 years"

Posted by Robert Wenzel at 11:28 AM
Thursday, August 8, 2013

What does Mitch McConnell campaign manager Jesse Benton really think about working for the Mitch McConnell re-election campaign?

EconomicPolicyJournal.com has obtained a recording of a phone conversation between Dennis Fusaro and Mitch McConnell campaign manager Jesse Benton.

Fusaro has previously appeared [ http://theiowarepublican.com/2013/in-his-own-words-sorenson-confirms-payment-for-ron-paul-endorsement/ (the second item in the post to which this is a reply)] on a phone recording with Kent Sorenson. The recording features Sorenson explaining how Ron Paul campaign’s Deputy National Campaign Manager, Demitri Kesari, met with Sorenson and his wife at a restaurant where, Sorenson says, his wife was presented and accepted a check while he was in the bathroom. The call was recorded just days after Sorenson abruptly abandoned Michele Bachmann’s campaign and publicly endorsed Ron Paul.

In the recording below, made by Fusaro on January 9, 2013, Fusaro confronts Benton about the check and asks Benton if he was aware of the payment. Benton denies knowledge but the conversation goes on and Benton begins to discuss what he is doing now.

The recording then presents Benton in his own words explaining what he thinks of his current job working as the campaign manager for the re-election campaign of Mitch McConnell, "Between you an me, I'm sorta holdin' my nose for two years," he says. Here's the full recording [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60TGUNwHDtw ].

EconomicPolicyJournal.com has attempted to reach Jesse Benton and the McConnell campaign for comment, but neither has returned phone calls.

(NOTE: EPJ has removed from this copy of the recording Benton providing his address to Fusaro.)

Copyright 2013 EconomicPolicyJournal.com

http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/08/mitch-mcconnell-campaign-manager-im.html [with comments]


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Jesse Benton, Mitch McConnell Campaign Manager: 'I'm Sorta Holdin' My Nose For Two Years' (UPDATE)

By Luke Johnson
Posted: 08/08/2013 2:25 pm EDT | Updated: 08/08/2013 5:04 pm EDT

Jesse Benton, campaign manager for Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), said that he was holding his nose while working for McConnell and thinking of the long-term best interests of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), according to a recording of a phone conversation [ http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/08/mitch-mcconnell-campaign-manager-im.html (above)] posted by the Economic Policy Journal, a libertarian-leaning website, on Thursday.

"Between you and me, I'm sorta holdin' my nose for two years, cause what we're doin' here is gonna be a big benefit to Rand in 2016, so that's the long vision," Benton reportedly said, apparently referring to a possible presidential run by Paul.

According to the Economic Policy Journal, the recorded conversation took place between Benton and Dennis Fusaro of the Reformed Theological Seminary on Jan. 9, 2013. Fusaro confirmed to the Weekly Standard [ http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/mcconnell-campaign-manager-im-holding-my-nose-until-rand-paul-campaign_745785.html ] that he made and later released the recording.

Benton's comment about McConnell underscores the tension between the Senate minority leader and the tea party as he runs for reelection. McConnell hired Benton, a former spokesman for then-Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and campaign manager for Rand Paul's successful 2010 Senate run [ http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2012/09/13/jesse_benton_here_s_why_ron_paul_s_spokesman_will_work_for_mitch_mcconnell.html ], in an apparent effort to bolster his credentials with more libertarian elements in the Republican Party. Nevertheless, McConnell is facing a tea party-aligned challenger, Matthew Bevin, in next year's GOP primary.

In a statement relayed by the McConnell campaign, Benton reiterated his commitment to the Senate minority leader.

"It is truly sick that someone would record a private phone conversation I had out of kindness and use it to try to hurt me," Benton said. "I believe in Senator McConnell and am 100 percent committed to his re-election. Being selected to lead his campaign is one of the great honors of my life and I look forward to victory in November of 2014."

Copyright © 2013 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/08/jesse-benton-recording_n_3726708.html [with embedded video report, and comments]


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