Oil Tycoon Gives $10 Million To Pro-Trump Super-PAC

Oil pipeline billionaire Kelcy Warren gave $10 million to a pro-Trump super-PAC last month, according to Federal Election Commission records released Sunday.

The contribution positions the Dallas tycoon as one of Trump’s top financial supporters in his bid for reelection. Warren and his wife Amy had previously given about $1.7 million to committees directly supporting Trump, and another $1.6 million to other causes this election cycle. In June, they hosted the first in-person fundraiser for Trump after COVID-19 halted in-person events in March.

When Trump took office in 2017, Warren, as head of pipeline manufacturer Energy Transfer Partners, faced protests over construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. After an executive order from Trump, ETP finished building the pipeline later that year. “I believe that the upcoming election is the most important in a generation,” Warren said in an email to Forbes earlier this year.

The super-PAC, America First Action, reported raising $21.9 million in August. Billionaires, including Warren, contributed some 60% of that. Wisconsin roofing magnate Diane Hendricks poured in $2 million, and Texas banker Andy Beal gave $1 million. Former WWE executive Linda McMahon, who chairs America First, chipped in $500,000.

Other billionaires who have donated to the group include private equity titan Stephen Schwarzman, Arkansas investment banker Warren Stephens, Marlene Ricketts, who is married to TD Ameritrade founder J. Joe Ricketts, and Sequoia Capital managing partner Douglas Leone.

Because America First is a super-PAC, there are no limits on the amount of money its donors can give. The group has spent over $25 million on efforts to support Donald Trump and oppose Joe Biden since last year, according to FEC data.