Conservative billionaire’s allies deny reports of 'significant donation' to pro-Trump group
On March 11, the New York Times reported that billionaire Pennysylvania investor Jeffrey Yass planned to make a "significant donation" to a Republican political action committee that is supporting Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. But so far, according to the Daily Beast, there is no record of that donation being made.
In an article published on April 1, Daily Beast reporters Mini Racker and Roger Sollenberger report that a spokesperson for Yass' Susquehanna International Group (SIG) said that Yass has not given any donations directly to Trump and has no plans to do so. And a second source, according to Racker and Sollenberger, "confirmed to The Daily Beast last week that Yass has not donated to any Trump-aligned groups, including since the Times report was published, saying there is no reason to expect that will change anytime soon."
"A former professional gambler, Yass made a fortune through his quantitative trading firm, Susquehanna International Group," the Beast journalists explain. "SIG is one of the largest investment enterprises in the country, controlling assets worth an estimated market value of half a trillion dollars — including its roughly $22 million share in Trump's social media venture."
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Racker and Sollenberger add, "Over his lifetime, Yass has poured at least $150 million into political causes at the federal level, according to The Daily Beast's analysis of publicly available campaign finance data. That number is almost certainly higher, however, because Yass has also injected tens of millions of dollars into state and local elections and issues across the country."
Yass, according to Racker and Sollenberger, is "notable" among "conservative megadonors" in that he "has never graced any of Trump's political committees."
"A review of Yass' donor history affirms he's far from a MAGA diehard," the Beast journalists explain. "Many of his biggest checks have gone to organizations tied to the Club for Growth, an anti-tax group that fundraised against Trump in the 2024 primary, though the group has recently been patching up its relationship with the former president, in part through Yass' efforts."
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Read the Daily Beast's full report at this link (subscription required).
