An $18 million contribution to the Democratic National Committee bought billionaire Democrat Mike Bloomberg just five minutes of speaking time during Thursday night’s convention.
Bloomberg announced his speaking role on August 13, sparking opposition from liberal activists. In a letter released Monday, a group of former Bloomberg campaign staffers called on DNC chairman Tom Perez to remove the billionaire from the proceedings. The staffers, who are also suing Bloomberg for wrongful termination, said they “do not believe there is a place on the convention stage for people like Mike Bloomberg who make a mockery of workers’ rights.”
But the billionaire appears to have bought the right to stay in the party’s good graces. Bloomberg gave $18 million to the DNC in March, meaning he spent $3.6 million for every minute of convention speaking time. He pledged an additional $60 million on Monday to boost House Democrats in the upcoming November election. Bloomberg has also bolstered Democrats through a gun control group that has pledged to spend $60 million in the 2020 election. Despite pouring millions into anti-gun bills, Bloomberg did not mention the issue in his DNC remarks.
The barrage of spending has not been enough for some party activists. Bloomberg, who spent more than $1 billion on his failed presidential campaign, did not rule out contributing an additional $1 billion to defeat Trump in a January interview with the New York Times. The Democrat, however, has not given directly to Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s campaign, nor has he given to a number of prominent Biden-aligned groups. – READ MORE
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