This could not be happening to a nicer guy.

Top staff members from Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign have been indicted in the culmination of a long investigation into Paul campaign’s alleged payments to an Iowa state senator to endorse the former Texas congressman for president and the hiding of those payments.

Here’s what went down:

The Department of Justice indicted Jesse Benton, who is the grandson-son-in-law of Ron Paul and ran his 2012 Presidential campaign.  Benton is also head of Rand Paul’s super PAC.  Busy little bag man.

They can prove that in 2012 , Ron Paul staffers offered to pay Iowa state senator Ken Sorenson salary to switch from Bachmann to Paul. Then held back the $25k payment when it became public. Paul staffers then concealed  payments to Sorenson by sending it labeled “Audio/Visual Expenses”

There’s a word for that — illegal.

And then there’s this —

Craig Robinson, a longtime Iowa Republican activist whose website the Iowa Republican played a crucial role in revealing the scandal, said the indictments should have a big impact on the 2016 GOP primary.

“If I was Rand Paul, I’d be sweating bullets,” Robinson told the Guardian. He added that the news raised big questions about the role of money of politics and “it would be a crime if Fox News doesn’t ask [Rand Paul] a question about” the indictments in Thursday’s presidential debate.

The price of a ticket just went up.

Thanks to everybody for the heads up.