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Former 2012 presidential candidate Ron Paul said Wednesday that he blames the government for announcing charges against his ex-aides shortly before his son, Rand Paul, was scheduled to appear in a national debate for the Republican presidential nomination.
The former Texas congressman told jurors Wednesday in a federal courtroom in Des Moines that he doesn't think it was a coincidence that an indictment against Jesse Benton and Dimitri Kesari was unsealed in August, one day before Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was set to appear onstage at the Republican Party's first debate of the 2016 campaign.
Prosecutors say Kesari and Benton concealed payments to a former state senator to endorse Ron Paul.
The trial began Tuesday.
Kesari faces five charges, including conspiracy and obstruction. Benton faces one count of making false statements. They have pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors say the men concealed payments to former Iowa Sen. Kent Sorenson after he jumped from the Michele Bachmann campaign to the Paul campaign before the January 2012 Iowa caucuses.
The judge overseeing the trial recently dismissed charges against a third aide to the former Texas congressman, though some could be refiled later.
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ANNOUNCER: YOU'RE WATCHING KCCI 8 NEWS. STACEY: RIGHT NOW AT 5:00, SECRET PAY-OFF TRIAL. THE CONGRESSMAN TAKING THE STAND IN DES MOINES FEDERAL COURTHOUSE TODAY TO TESTIFY AGAINST HIS OWN GRANDSON. STEVE: GOOD AFTERNOON, A FORMER REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TAKES THE WITNESS STAND THIS AFTERNOON IN FEDERAL COURT IN DES MOINES. STACEY: 2012 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE RON PAUL WAS CALLED BY THE PROSECUTION TO TESTIFY AGAINST HIS GRAND DAUGHTER'S HUSBAND. KCCI'S MARCUS MCINTOSH IS JUST BACK FROM FEDERAL COURT WHERE HE SAT IN ON RON PAUL'S TESTIMONY. MARCUS: TWO RON PAUL 2012 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN STAFFERS, JESSE BENTON, HIS GRANADAUTHER'S HUSBAND. AND DMITRI KESARI, ARE ON TRIAL FOR ALLEGEDLY MAKING HIDDEN PAYMENTS TO KENT SORNESON WHO SWITCHED HIS ENDORSEMENT FROM MICHELLE BACHMAN TO RON PAUL JUST BEFORE THE 2012 IOWA CAUCUSES. WE CAUGHT UP TO RON PAUL AS HE LEFT THE FEDERAL COURTHOUSE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AFTER TESTIFYING. OUR CAMERAS ARE NOT ALLOWED INSIDE. UNDER DIRECT QUESTIONS FROM THE PROSECUTION PAUL SAID HE TRUSTED PEOPLE RUNNING HIS CAMPAIGN TO ACCOUNT FOR ALL THE FUNDS GOING IN AND OUT. HE SAYS HE HAS MOST LIKELY CROSSED PATHS WITH SORENSON IN THE PAST AND ADMITS HE WAS CAUGHT OFF GUARD RIGHT BEFORE A PRESS CONFERENCE WHERE HE WAS ENDORSED BY SORENSON. HE SAYS HE DID NOT KNOW OR WHY SORENSON ENDORSED HIM AND SAYS POLITICAL ENDORSEMENTS ARE NOT WORTH MUCH. PAUL TESTIFIED HE WOULD NEVER PAY A POLITICIAN TO ENDORSE HIM AND COULD NOT CONCEIVE OF ANYONE IN HIS CAMPAIGN DOING THAT EITHER. WHEN ASKED IF HE FEELS VICTIMIZED BY HIS STAFFERS HE SAID HE FEELS VICTIMIZED BY THIS PROCESS, HAVING COME AT A TIME WHEN HIS FAMILY IS DEALING WITH HEALTH ISSUES AND HIS SON IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT SAYING IT , IS A HEAVY BURDEN TO TESTIFY FOR THE PROSECUTION. HE STILL SUPPORTS HIS GRAND
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