By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-03 16:58:20 | Updated at 2024-10-06 14:18:49
2 days ago
Elon Musk has been bankrolling Republican causes for years, starting much earlier than previously known, a new report has claimed.
The X owner and Tesla CEO gave $10 million in support of Ron DeSantis as he ran for president in 2023, sources 'familiar with his donation' told the Wall Street Journal.
Before DeSantis dropped out of the race this January, money was allegedly routed through a group called Faithful & Strong Policies - a group that claims to be 'committed to promoting and supporting conservative and ideas'.
Financial contributions to groups with ties to Stephen Miller, a Trump aide, and DeSantis reportedly stretch back to at least fall 2022, when Musk backed Citizens for Sanity advertising campaigns with some $50million, sources told the WSJ.
The group, this year accused of spending $90million on 'racist and transphobic ads' in 2022, reportedly has board members from the America First Legal Foundation, founded by Miller.
Elon Musk meets Donald Trump at the White House in February 2017
Donald Trump speaks at a press conference in the Discovery Center, Milwaukee on October 1
Governor Ron DeSantis during press conference near John's Pass Village on Wednesday
Citizens for Sanity was founded in 2022, with salaried employees from the Foundation listed among directors and officers, per the WSJ.
As Senior Advisor, Stephen Miller guided Trump on policy and speechwriting.
He has been described as an 'extremist' and 'white nationalist' planning to 'dramatically change the government’s interpretation of civil rights-era laws to focus on ‘anti-white racism’ rather than discrimination against people of color' if Trump is re-elected.
Miller founded America First Legal in 2021 to challenge Biden policies and complain criticize diversity initiatives and transgender policies in schools.
'Citizens for Sanity, where Musk’s money landed, was made up of employees of America First Legal,' the WSJ reports.
Elon Musk was reported to have given more than $50million to fund advertisements by the group in late 2022, most of which ran in battleground states focusing on illegal immigration and medical care for transgender children.
Much also went towards Never Back Down, a pro-DeSantis political-action committee.
The committee was founded by Ken Cuccinelli, a former Trump administration official, to encourage DeSantis to run for president.
The group raised more than $145million between January 1, 2023 and July 30, 2024.
Musk's contributions had not previously been reported. Other major donors include Robert Bigelow and the Faithful & Strong Policies Inc.
Bigelow later criticized DeSantis and defected to back the Trump campaign.
Faithful & Strong Policies was described as a 'conservative non-profit that contributed $5.5million and is connected to Scott Wagner' by factcheck.org.
Wagner, an entrepreneur, previously represented the 28th district in the Pennsylvania State Senate.
In 2017 he faced criticism over his comments calling George Soros a 'Hungarian Jew' with a 'hatred of America'.
The WSJ claims Republican consultants and lawyers helped Musk carry out transactions backing Republican causes covertly.
'He used a limited-liability company to send money to groups that are known for the section of Internal Revenue Service code they fall under: 501(c)(4).
'Sometimes called “social welfare organizations,” or “dark money” groups, they are exempt from disclosing donors and can raise unlimited amounts of money from people and companies,' it reports.
Elon Musk with far-right Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni in New York, September 23
Stephen Miller, former senior advisor to former US President Donald Trump, steps off a plane in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 10
Elon Musk attends the men's final on day fourteen of the 2024 US Open Tennis Championships at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center on September 8
Amid news Alex Jones' InfoWars will be sold off to help pay the more than $1bn owed to the relatives of Sandy Hook victims, Jones appeared to call on Elon Musk to save it from falling into the hands of liberal buyers.
Jones has asked Elon Musk to buy Infowars in recent days, writing: 'This is a great idea! The ultimate middle finger to the rotting globalist establishment.'
One person who will not be bidding is George Soros, a longtime enemy of Jones and a focus of his many rants, who said he was not interested.
It's unclear how much money would be raised by selling Infowars and Jones' assets, and how much money the Sandy Hook families would get.
Jones has about $9 million in personal assets, according to court filings. Free Speech Systems has about $6 million in cash on hand and about $1.2 million worth of inventory, according to previous court testimony.
