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By NBC's Michael Isikoff
Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino mogul bankrolling Newt Gingrich’s super PAC isn’t trying to “buy” a presidency, his top political consultant tells NBC News. He’s just following in the footsteps of another powerful business tycoon, Joseph Kennedy, father of President John F. Kennedy.
Billionaire Sheldon Adelson and his wife have given GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich's super-PAC $10 million, the biggest cash infusion in the race for the White House. NBC's Michael Isikoff reports on the couple behind the contribution.
“I don’t think it’s buying a presidency any more than it was when Joe Kennedy helped his son,” Sig Rogich, a veteran Republican operative who serves as Adelson’s government affairs consultant, said in an interview about the massive donations that the casino mogul has made to Gingrich’s super PAC.
Adelson, 78, who has a personal fortune estimated at $21 billion, “plays to win” and “puts his money where his mouth is,” Rogich added.
In the last three weeks, Adelson and his Israeli-born wife Miriam have pumped $10 million into the Winning Our Future Super PAC. Those donations provided a critical cash infusion that helped revive Gingrich’s candidacy, bankrolling attack ads against Mitt Romney in South Carolina and now Florida. They’ve also made the Adelsons the largest known donors so far in a presidential race awash with money under new rules allowing unlimited donations to so-called super PACs.
But the contributions have also raised new questions about Adelson’s outside role in influencing the campaign. Those questions could intensify as a result of potentially provocative comments he has made about Israel uncovered by NBC News.
Scott Audette / Reuters
Republican presidential candidate former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich makes a point during the Republican presidential candidates debate in Jacksonville, Florida January 26, 2012.
Adelson owns a newspaper in Israel, 'Israel HaYom,' that backs conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and adamantly opposes any peace settlement with the Palestinians.
But while Adelson and Gingrich have bonded on the issue of a hawkish Mideast policy, especially over the threat of a nuclear Iran, some of the casino mogul’s comments could prove embarrassing.
In a talk to an Israeli group in July, 2010, Adelson said he wished he had served in the Israeli Army rather than the U.S. military—and that he hoped his young son would come back to Israel and “be a sniper for the IDF,” a reference to the Israel Defense Forces. (YouTube video of speech)
“I am not Israeli. The uniform that I wore in the military, unfortunately, was not an Israeli uniform. It was an American uniform, although my wife was in the IDF and one of my daughters was in the IDF ... our two little boys, one of whom will be bar mitzvahed tomorrow, hopefully he’ll come back-- his hobby is shooting -- and he’ll come back and be a sniper for the IDF,” Adelson said at the event.
“All we care about is being good Zionists, being good citizens of Israel, because even though I am not Israeli born, Israel is in my heart,” he said toward the end of his talk.
Asked about those comments, Rogich said: “No one could possibly ever think that he is anything but a loyal American. He’s shown that time and time again.”
Rogich cited major donations that Adelson has made to medical research and other philanthropic causes that were far bigger than his political contributions, he said.
As for Israel, Rogich said: “I think that the fact that he is a Zionist and believes deeply in the preservation of Israel is so commendable.”
Newt Gingrich, who stirred controversy recently by calling the Palestinians "an invented people," appears on the cover of Sheldon Adelson's newspaper, Israel HaYom, blasting the Obama administration for its policies on Iran. "The Obama administration is denying reality," reads the headline in Hebrew. "The refusal to confront evil could cause a second Holocaust."
Gingrich, who stirred controversy recently by calling the Palestinians “an invented people,” appeared on the cover of Adelson’s Israeli newspaper blasting the Obama administration for its policies on Iran.
“The Obama administration is denying reality,” reads the headline in Hebrew. “The refusal to confront evil could cause a second Holocaust.”
When Gingrich was questioned about the money from Adelson this week, he immediately cited the casino mogul’s backing of Israel as a major reason he had received his support.
“Sheldon Adelson is very deeply concerned about the survival of Israel and believes that the Iranians represent a mortal threat to Israel and the United States,” Gingrich said in an interview while on the campaign trail in Florida. “And he is deeply motivated by the question of having a commander-in-chief strong enough and willing to make sure the Iranians do not get nuclear weapons.”
Asked if he had promised the casino mogul anything in exchange for the money to the super PAC, Gingrich replied: “I promised him that I would seek to defend the United States and the United States allies.”
Adelson’s interests extend beyond Israel. His personal fortune comes from a casino empire that stretches from the Vegas strip to the gambling havens of Singapore and Macau. But his business interests have also provoked legal troubles.
Adelson’s company, the Las Vegas Sands, disclosed last year that it was being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission over allegations by a former top company executive that Adelson directed him to put a local government official on its payroll in Macau — a potential violation of a U.S. anti-bribery law. The firm has denied the allegations, saying they come from a lawsuit filed by a disgruntled former employee.
Adelson also earned a reputation in Las Vegas as a fierce foe of labor unions after he bought the legendary Sands Hotel, home base of Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack, and then blew it up in 1996.
About 1,500 casino workers lost their jobs. Adelson built a spectacular new hotel in its place, the Venetian, but locked out the state’s powerful Culinary Workers Union, which resulted in street protests and lawsuits.
Union official D. Taylor (sic) said that Adelson’s security officials at the Las Vegas Sands Hotel tried to have the protestors outside his hotel arrested, but Las Vegas police refused.
“He claimed that he owned the sidewalks,” Taylor said. Georgia Democratic “congressman John Lewis led us on the sidewalks to say that nobody’s going to own the people on the sidewalks,” he added. “Sheldon then appealed the decision of the police not to arrest us all the way to the Supreme Court.”
Taylor said Adelson lost that battle — the courts upheld a finding of anti-labor practices against his company — but now the casino mogul thinks he can purchase a presidency.
“I think it’s very scary that any one candidate would be so beholden to one persona, a billionaire, who obviously has a very specific agenda that he wants to achieve,” said Taylor.
But Rogich, Adelson’s consultant, said that agenda consists of nothing more than trying to elect a good friend who he believes “would be a great president.”
“And that’s what this process is all about — that’s why we call it America,” he said. “You have the right to spend your money how you’d like to spend it.”
Leave a Comment:
It has all been under the table using assasinations to get something done in the US using the cia or foreign hitmen. Now, the president of the US has come out and authorized it in public to kill. bin laden was the first. The door is now open. How far will the law allow us to go as US citizens? The israelis seem to do it on a daily basis. Can't remember the book title or author, but there was one that advocated it to save lives in wars and take out potential future enemies. It could be useful in some situations like this.
Live by the bomb die by the gun. I shed no tears for the killing of the likes of bin laden and his religious crazed followers. The more kills the better. They don't have the guts to come out and fight like real men but hide behind their religion and kills women and children.
Don't pay any attention to what I'm doing; just trust me!
"If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's a duck!"
I don't see anything controviersial in this article. Honestly earned money, God, guns,guts, and Israel's sovernign status---sounds good to me. Go Newt!!!
DocHolliday says:
"Paying 15% tax on billion dollar salaries (capital gains my ass) while the rest of us paying 34% tax on less than 40K a year is plain wrong, I dont care how you look at it."
Doc, if you're paying 34% on $40K a year you better get some help with your tax return. You're either lying or stupid!
yeah, i was shocked when i did my taxes this week, last year i paid 25%.....this year close to 31%.
doc's probably not "lying" or "stupid" old jim.
...have you done your taxes for this year yet jim ?
Keck
A single taxpayer earning $40K with nothing to deduct beyond a single exemption and standard deduction would pay about $4080 in fed tax. That's 10.2%..........a far cry from the 34% Doc claimed he paid!
Most of these taxpayers who claim to be paying 27% (or in Doc's case, 34%) are absolutely wrong. That may be the marginal rate they pay on the next dollar earned but it is far from the rate paid.
Figures don't lie but liars figure.
maybe jim.
...but you should apologize to doc for the personal attack, even if his numbers are off...not reason to insult someone on here.
besides, it's friday
My money is on a final ticket of Romney and Santorum
Santorum reminds me of Spiro Agnew. Every time ol' Spiro went on a college campus he caused a riot. Santorum almost started one in New Hampshire. He is an arrogant prick.
This is a pact for services and they are already being rendered. Gingrich has begun payback by labelling the Palestinian people as invented even though history shows a non-Jewish people in Palestine dating back to the days of the Romans. Adelson has purchased an intensifying campaign against the Palestinian people interwoven into the USA presidential campaign.
Adelson appears to support a higher loyalty to Israel than USA strategic lon-term needs. He is contributing to a side-show that blinds people to the real issues of the Middle East. The presidential campaign now has a well-funded candidate with significant unethical and immoral issues because of pro-Israel funding.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, interesting. So maybe this Adelson is just a funnel for larger concerns. Either way Newt's not going to win so if they want to throw money down that empty hole, so be it.
Ther are no (dem. or repub. or indep.) "presidential candidates" worthy of this great nation's highest office at this time.
I will be sure to vote for the candidate from the Constitution Party when the name will be made known.
I promise to do my best to also remove the current officeholders of the Obama administration.
I will pray to God for Him to do His will for our country. Like it was intended in the U.S. Constitution.
Adelson is a Zionist pariah who continues to make fortunes off of addicted gamblers. Were Gingrich to be elected he is so beholding to the Zionists that he would attack Iran due to beholding to them. VERY DANGEROUS for world peace.
I dont recall that "Zionist" forcing people to go to his Casino that also provides many jobs. Do you drink? Do the evil alcohol companies make their fortunes off addicted drinkers? Dumb analogy. Is your swastika and white hood at the cleaners?
Another billionaire who is a member of the big business consortium that is running the world. It is time for all of the 99% to put an end to this massive empire that controls us. God forbid if Newt was ever placed into the office of President because it would end up being a bigger mess tha n George got us into. It seems like this consortium wants economic failure to happen so it will benefit. Wake up americans and do not vote for this huge consortium that controls both Republicans and Democrats. We shoul all boycott the elctions so no one would be voted in and then they would have listen to us.
Take one look at Obummers Campaign War Chest and tell me,... who is buying the presidency?
Now lets see an article talking about Obama's backers -- Soros and Buffett.
Or are these GOOD billionaires?
What virtually every poster here misses is the fact that all of us...yes, ALL of us...regardless of party affiliation or what issues matter the most to us, be they 2nd Amendment, family values, deficit spending, entitlements, etc., etc. completely miss this point: in the USA we have three elections...(1) the one day primary election, (2) the one day general election and, by far the most important and influential election...the (3) election that takes place the other 363 days of the year. This third election takes place through lobbyists, unions, corporations, the wealthy, etc. influencing our politicans with the huge amounts money it nowadays takes to get re-elected. Pay-to-play, if you will. If any of the above posters really think they have anything influence on today's national issues they are deluding themselves.
Another Liberal bent article from NBC and the Libbys are here lapping it up, LOL.
Instead of asking his own son to become a sniper, he should strap on that rifle and go to Jerusalem himself! Having Gingrich as our president would be worse than having Putin as Russia's!
hey just thank the SUPREME COURT money talks an BS walks, look at newt the people are not behind him he has a golden sugar daddy, how many 99% does it take to fight off a billionaire? think we should flush the supreme count if this is what they call equal. so this election HOW MUCH WILL BE SPENT? AND BY WHO?
Obama has Soros, whats the difference? Oh... I know. You won't see a hit piece on Soros from the leftist media.
I have to smile when I read some of the negatives on Ron Paul especially when they come from a Mitt or Newt supporter. Are you serious people? Paul is the only trustworthy candidate left. But keep it up I need the belly laughs.
These super pacs are just another way of getting around breaking contribution laws and they all should be dissolved and not allowed. We are so tired of big money buying the elctions just for example George Bush Jr...
2008 Obama Contributors
Wall Street bankrolled most of Obama campaign, occupiers: wake up
University of California
$1,648,685
Goldman Sachs
$1,013,091
Harvard University
$878,164
Microsoft Corp
$852,167
Google Inc
$814,540
JPMorgan Chase & Co
$808,799
Citigroup Inc
$736,771
Time Warner
$624,618
Sidley Austin LLP
$600,298
Stanford University
$595,716
National Amusements Inc
$563,798
WilmerHale LLP
$550,668
Columbia University
$547,852
Skadden, Arps et al
$543,539
UBS AG
$532,674
IBM Corp
$532,372
General Electric
$529,855
US Government
$513,308
Morgan Stanley
$512,232
Latham & Watkins
$503,295
Bank of America’s executives $421,242
and Law Firms are the biggest contributors raising around $4.1 mil
Sammed,
Do not confuse these people with facts; their mind is already made up!
Who contributes to who is not the point. Republican or Democrat...Tea Party or Occupy...religious right or secular left...IT DOESN'T MATTER! What matters is that "government by the People, for the People" is a myth. Our political system has evolved into who has the money to MOST influence OUR representatives...the "People" be damned. I posit one question to all posters: How much money did YOU contribute to a political party or a candidate (of your choice) lately?
Porbably the same as me...not much (if any)...I use my money to pay bills and have precious little left over. So who's donating the hundreds of millions into these elections?
SO the F what? Tea bag.
Sammed...
I like your post (BHO contributors) and I don't dispute it for a second. Please give us your source to add credibility.
And all these contributor's want favor's. They don't contribute for nothing. The only people who get Zip out of contributions are the ordinary Taxpayer's.
just when you thing newt is at his lowest, here is his buddy wishing he served in the idf, instead of the us militqary. now we stand a tiny chance of having a president more concerned with israel, than america. newt is not just morally bankrupt, but dangerous to america.
I think the Super PACs name "Winning Our Future Super PAC" is fitting. Newt acts a lot like Charlie Sheen and his "Winning" ways.
I thought newt the nut was a history teacher. Evidently, he taught twisted history in one of those alternate history sci-fi books. All of that money is changing history in his f**ked-up little brain. The Hebrews came into the pic from the Iraq area and slaughtered the people living in what was once future Palestine and took over. They in turn were conquered and thrown out, became terrorists themselves and killed a lot of British soldiers in Palestine and then the brits gave it to the Jews for a national homeland. The Palestinians were thrown off their lands, with the help of the muslim pigs telling them the Israilis were going to kill them all. The ones that weren't displaced left because of this and are fanned to hatred by the muslims. It's a sick joke, but this *sswipe has all the money.
What he meant to say was that he needs a president that will start a war for him. Nice.
With all the baggage Gingrich is carrying (not including what's out there we don't know about yet but will inevitably come out), how could any one even consider this man has the moral authority to become President of the United States?? Further, America isn't (and God help us, may it never become one) a one man dictatorship which is the only form of government someone like this proven failure of an excongressman could lead!
I didn't like what Gingrich said about presidential decisions not being for "mere mortals". Suggests to me he is ego-maniacal. Santorum looks petty and desperate and Paul is just trying to be different without any sense. Romney is the complete candidate.....presidential and without these deficiencies.