By Jeremy Portnoy of RealClearInvestigations
Prime line: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted $890,000 in marketing campaign contributions from staff, together with C-suite executives Between 2019 and 2022, amongst 434 state-owned suppliers, new report Discovered from OpenTheBooks.
The businesses collected almost $15 billion in funds from the state between 2019 and 2023, in line with the State Checkbook.
Key info: The donations had been all directed towards Walz’s re-election marketing campaign as Minnesota governor and had been made earlier than he grew to become the Democratic vice presidential nominee.
Donors embrace CEOs, presidents and different senior executives from 86 state-owned suppliers.
Marketing campaign data present staff on the legislation agency Blackwell Burke donated $4,750 to Walz’s gubernatorial marketing campaign and obtained almost $200,000 every from the state. Co-founder Jerry Blackwell was one of many prosecutors who helped convict Derek Chauvin of murdering George Floyd.
Associated: Bill Blue, top Democratic donor processor, faces U.S. House investigation
Ted Mondale, director of latest enterprise growth and authorities relations for laptop consulting agency Atomic Knowledge, donated $2,250 to Walz. His firm obtained one other $169,311 from the state. Mondale is a former Democratic state senator and the son of former U.S. Sen. Walter Mondale of Minnesota, who additionally served as Jimmy Carter’s vice chairman.
Kinsale Communications obtained $160,583 in state payouts, despite the fact that no on-line data of the enterprise exist. President Steve Kinsella and his household donated $3,000 to Walz’s marketing campaign.
Different Walz marketing campaign donors who’ve obtained nationwide enterprise embrace Goal, Normal Mills, Fortune 500 manufacturing firm 3M and financial institution chains comparable to Wells Fargo and U.S. Financial institution.
background: It’s almost inconceivable to find out which transactions, if any, characterize precise conflicts of curiosity.
The Minnesota Checkbook accommodates solely greenback values and lists of firms that obtain state funds. Whereas close by states like Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota are extra clear, the state ignored OpenTheBooks’ freedom of data requests for particulars about every transaction.
As of December 31, 2023, Walz had greater than $627,000 money available as he accomplished his re-election bid. legally Transfer the money to the Harris-Walz marketing campaign, however he might theoretically return the donations and ask donors to ship the cash again to the presidential candidate.
Associated: Lawmakers investigate Soros’ ‘shortcut’ to buying radio stations ahead of election
Abstract: Many Minnesota distributors might obtain state enterprise even with out donating to Walz’s marketing campaign — but when anybody will get preferential therapy, taxpayers ought to learn about it.
#WasteOfTheDay is dropped at you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com
Syndicated with permission from RealClearWire.
