Justice Thomas’ Wife Donated To An Election Skeptic

Today we revisit Ginni Thomas’s campaign contributions, look at the government contractor that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hired to fly migrants to Martha’s Vineyard and learn about a possible way Congress could end tax breaks for political nonprofits.

Conservative activist Virginia Thomas made another political contribution, even as her political work receives increased scrutiny as a result of the position that her husband, Clarence Thomas, holds as an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. In May, Virginia Thomas donated $250 to support Hung Cao, a GOP nominee for Congress in Virginia who has questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Thomas has contributed at least $16,000 in support of Republican candidates, according to federal and state records. She also has links to both the January 6 insurrection and groups connected to cases before the Supreme Court, reported the New Yorker.

Her donation to Cao, a retired Navy Captain, came the day he won the GOP primary. A month earlier, Cao questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election during a fundraiser, according to a video of the event. When asked if he thought the results were valid, Hung responded:

It’s just very difficult for me to understand what happened in 2020, when the person sits in their basement for the whole election cycle and they got more votes than Barack Obama. I’m just saying it’s just very hard for me to understand and decipher that. I’m a person of science, I understand mathematics very well, and it’s just very difficult for me to understand that. And laws are laws. You can’t change the rules halfway through like they did in Pennsylvania.

When asked by Forbes if he believed the election was stolen from President Trump, Cao sidestepped the question. “Anyone who doesn’t think Joe Biden is president hasn’t been to a gas station or a grocery store recently,” Cao said in a statement the campaign provided. “President Bush carried Virginia twice, but in both elections, far-left Democrats accused him of stealing the election and challenged his legitimacy as president. Their hypocrisy knows no bounds.”

As for the extent of Cao’s interactions with Thomas, a campaign spokesperson replied that the campaign had 18,000 individual donors to date.

Thomas has not responded to inquiries. If elected, Cao would be her congressman.

A reporting note: Your correspondent found Cao’s quote at the fundraiser by searching Twitter for “Hung Cao election.” That query turned up the website for the pro-Democrat Blue Virginia, which had posted Cao’s remarks along with the full video.

FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION/CAO FOR CONGRESS

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CEO Of Aviation Company DeSantis Hired To Fly Migrants To Martha’s Vineyard Donated To Republicans

The CEO of the private aviation company Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) hired to send migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard on Sept. 14 doesn’t appear to be much of a political donor. But what money he has contributed went to Republicans, according to federal and state records.

So far this month, Florida has paid Vertol Systems Company Inc. $1.6 million, describing the expense as being for a “relocation program of unauthorized aliens.” The company’s registration with the state lists James Montgomerie as the business’s registered agent.

Records with the Federal Election Commission show Montgomerie has donated twice to political committees. He gave $2,700 to the 2016 campaign of Republican Matt Gaetz. In 2017, he handed $5,000 to North Florida Neighbors, a group that advertised itself as the “leading independent super PAC supporting conservative Republicans.”

Montgomerie also contributed $500 to the campaign of a Republican running for governor of Florida in 2005.

FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION

Watch: How Social Media Platforms Can Help Stop The Spread Of The Big Lie

How Congress Could End Tax Breaks For Gifts To Nonprofits With Political Agendas

“The recent decision by Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, to contribute 98% of his $3 billion business, tax free, to a tax-exempt organization formed to combat climate change comes about a month after the New York Times also reported that the Chicago businessman Barre Seid gave his entire $1.6 billion business, tax free, to a similar organization that will question climate change and advocate for conservative causes,” writes Steve Rosenthal of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center for Forbes:

But thanks to clever tax planning, Chouinard and Seid got the best of both worlds: no taxes and virtually no limits on the political activities of the nonprofits. Effectively, the tax law helped them maximize their political gift…

There are two simple solutions to this problem. Congress could extend to social welfare organizations the special tax rule that treats a gift of appreciated property to political organizations as a sale and subject to capital gains taxes (at 23.8%).

Alternatively, Congress could impose gift taxes on property given to social welfare or political organizations. Before 2015, gifts to social welfare organizations were subject to the gift tax, but contributions to political organizations were explicitly exempt. Then Congress leveled the playing field by exempting gifts to both forms of organization. But, better yet, Congress now could keep the playing field level by applying the gift tax to both types of organizations (at 40%).

“There is no reason taxpayers should be subsidizing gifts to explicitly political organizations,” writes Rosenthal. “And Congress can easily limit federal tax benefits for these gifts.”

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Tracking Trump

Forbes continues to update “Tracking Trump: A Rundown Of All The Lawsuits And Investigations Involving The Former President.”

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) held a fundraiser at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, N.J. earlier this month. Paxton’s campaign already has disclosed spending $50,000 at Mar-a-Lago. Trump endorsed him in July 2021.

Facebook/Bubba Saulsbury

“Special master in Mar-a-Lago case appears skeptical of Trump “declassification’ claims” (NBC News)
“Trump and other former White House officials could be called to testify in…Thomas Barrack’s trial” (CBS News)
“Greg Norman, the Australian golfer-turned-CEO of LIV Golf, is coming to Washington to meet with members of Congress and attempt to reshape the golf tour’s public image amid ongoing criticism of its Saudi ties.” (Politico)
“In which the former president humbly suggests every child in America should read a book in which he is portrayed as a king and referred to as ‘King Donald’” (Twitter/Steve Reilly of Grid News)

Editor’s Picks

“Nancy Pelosi says a congressional stock trading ban is coming this month, but skepticism abounds among key advocates: ‘I can’t say I’m confident’” (Insider)
“This fundraiser for Arizona Republican secretary of state nominee Mark Finchem featured a singer singing a QAnon song, per a video posted online of the fundraiser from attendee and QAnon influencer Jordan Sather.” (Twitter/Alex Kaplan of Media Matters for America)
“House Republicans raised $6 million from their lawmakers this morning, a record for this type of closed-meeting fundraising drive.” (Twitter/Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News)
“Cryptocurrency magnate, new GOP megadonor, sunk millions into primaries” (The Washington Examiner)
“Inside Shaun King’s Shadowy $6.7 Million Nonprofit” (The Daily Beast)
“Youngkin to hold Arizona events supporting Lake” (Politico)
“Saving Arizona, a PAC that previously supported Senate candidate Blake Masters, just spent $30K on broadcast for a 30-minute infomercial.” (Twitter/AdImpact Politics)
“GOP megadonor Peter Thiel to host fundraiser for Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters” (CNBC)