Land casino billionaire gives House Republicans a $30 million boost
Land casino magnate and anti-online gambling campaigner Sheldon Adelson has made another large donation to the House Republican Congressional Leadership Fund, according to the Washington DC publication Politico, citing confirmation from two senior House Republicans.
The contribution will be publicly revealed in the Fund’s campaign finance filing this month, ahead of the November elections, Politico said, adding that the donation was secured last week after politicians went cap in hand and convinced Adelson that it was needed to protect the Republican majority in the House.
House Speaker Paul Ryan reportedly met with the billionaire at his Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, along with his wife, Miriam and Norm Coleman, the former Minnesota senator who chairs the Republican Jewish Coalition. Corry Bliss, who oversees the super PAC, and Ryan aide Jake Kastan, also attended, Politico said.
As a federally elected official, Ryan is not permitted to solicit seven-figure political donations. When Ryan left the room, Coleman made the ask and secured the $30 million contribution, according to Politico.
The donation has attracted criticism from several quarters. Morris Pearl, chair of the Patriotic Millionaires said Thursday that Adelson’s contribution “is yet another sign of just how broken our political system is. Rather than try to write and pass policy that is actually good for their constituents, Congress follows the money and does whatever their billionaire donors tell them to do, consequences for the rest of the country be damned.”
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, long a supporter of publically funded elections, tweeted: “Democracy means one person, one vote. It does not mean billionaires like Sheldon Adelson buying elections.”