A Major Russian-American Oil Magnate Is Putting Big Money Behind Trump’s Campaign
Misha Japaridze/AP
On Monday, Donald Trump’s campaign continued to come under fire for its mysterious—and seemingly ever expanding—connections to Russia, as one of his foreign policy advisers, Carter Page, left the campaign amid allegations that he held meetings with Russian government officials and discussed possibly lifting US sanctions in the event of a Trump presidency. (Page called these allegations “complete garbage.”)
Now there’s another Russian connection to add the list: Open Secrets reported Monday that Simon Grigorievich Kukes, a Russian-American oil magnate who has headed a number of Russian oil companies, has given more than $150,000 to the Trump campaign and Trump Victory, the campaign’s joint fundraising committee, since March of this year. These donations mark the first time he’s contributed to federal elections, according to FEC filings.
More: A Major Russian-American Oil Magnate Is Putting Big Money Behind Trump’s Campaign