Appeals Court Wary of GOP Operative’s Campaign Finance Appeal

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.

A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard Jesse Benton’s challenge on Monday in a case that delved into complex campaign finance laws and communications to the jury at trial.

Benton, a one-time aide and grandson-in-law to Ron Paul, the former Texas GOP congressman and presidential candidate, is fighting his conviction on six counts of campaign finance violations and obstruction of justice. He ...